


Sparks and Gasoline

by lordofthepringles



Category: As the World Turns
Genre: Angst, Attempted Murder, Character Death, Cheating, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Intrigue, M/M, Major Character Injury, Masturbation in Shower, Mildly Dubious Consent, Minor Character Death, Multi, Murder, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Poisoning, Teenage Drama, UST, Underage Drinking, Underage Sex, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-24
Updated: 2013-03-24
Packaged: 2017-12-06 09:50:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 53
Words: 110,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/734308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lordofthepringles/pseuds/lordofthepringles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke and Reid grew up together, but neither had liked the other. Reid moved away for college then, and Luke never saw him again. Sixteen years later, Luke and Reid collide again. What happens when sparks and gasoline meet? AU. Completed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story will meander through present day and high school. There will be teenage boys having sex. There will be references to teenage death, drinking, alcoholism, and drug use.

Luke was convinced that this story would be his breakthrough. He had been working on this story for months. It had all started when news came out that an unheard of corporation, with no prior history before that year, was buying out the hospital. Luke was suspicious, and when two of the doctors who were against the sale ended up in the morgue, Luke was convinced.

He and his staff had been working on this story for two months now.

"Hey, Luke. Any leads?"

Luke looked up to see one of his reporters at his desk.

"Unfortunately no, the last one was a dead end."

"Well, I'm sure something will turn up. I'm going to the airport to meet Bob's replacement."

Luke rubbed his neck,

"Really? I thought Bob was sticking around to make the transition. That's the last I had heard."

"I'm the investigative journalist, Luke. I have my connections. I found out from some of the nurses that Bob asked someone to come back to Oakdale. Apparently, the new guy, isn't so new. He grew up here."

Luke put his feet on the ground then. There weren't too many former Oakdale residents that Bob would insist on being his new chief of staff. He knew instinctively it would be Reid Oliver.

Luke stood up.

"I'm coming with you. I'd love to meet the new chief of staff. Maybe he can shed some light on the state of the hospital."

Amber just looked at him warily,

"Since when do you ever willingly go on location?"

"Since now."

Luke was walking out the door then and didn't notice the odd expression on his employee's face.

Luke leaned against his Maserati , a gift from his father. He always felt pretentious when driving it, but it got him from point A to point B, so he didn't complain too much.

The sun was just starting to set and a cool breeze blew across the tarmac.

Suddenly a private jet was landing that had the name Invicta on the side.

Luke arched his eyebrow and smirked, of course Reid Oliver would be in a private jet.

Luke had a flashback to growing up. He and Reid had met when he was seven.

Lily and Holden had planned a trip and Reid's parents agreed to watch Luke and his baby sister, Faith while they were gone.

They lived only about four houses away from each other.

Luke can remember Reid being forced to walk him to school and hating every minute of it.

Reid was either throwing dirt at him and making him cry, or walking too fast for him to keep up and rolling his eyes at the stupid child he was stuck with.

The steps were lowering then and Luke snapped out of the memories coursing through his brain.

Luke watched as Reid stepped out and walked down the steps.

He had on a white linen suit and Luke could tell he had on designer sunglasses.

He looked extremely good, though. Luke couldn't deny how attractive Reid was, and had always been.

Reid took one look at him and stepped forward.

Suddenly Luke was very nervous. He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and stepped forward.

"So, I take it you are the chauffeur to take me to the hospital?"

Reid threw his bags in the back of the gar and slid in the passenger seat.

Luke just stared at him flabbergasted.

"Anytime today would be lovely. I'd like to catch my flight back to Vermont sometime this century."

"I'm not your chauffer, Reid."

Reid took his designer glasses off then and looked at him,

"Am I supposed to know you?"

"It's me, Luke."

Reid just shook his head,

"Luke? Luke who? Skywalker? Wilson?"

"Luke Snyder."

Reid got out of the car then.

"Well, I'll be damned. You're Luke Snyder?"

Reid looked him up and down then and got a wolfish grin on his face.

Luke was suddenly uncomfortable and his shirt felt to tighten and constrict his breathing.

"Yes, I'm Luke Snyder. I'm not here as your chauffer."

"So why are you here greeting my plane?"

"I was just here to ask you some questions about your new position at the hospital."

"I can't answer any of those."

"Why not?"

"Because I haven't even decided if I am going to stay around. I'm just here to meet with Bob Hughes and get a tour of the facilities and why the hell is hospital business any of your business?"  
"I'm the editor in chief of Oakdaily."

"Really? Mommy and Daddy bought you your own business so you could feel important?"

"No, you asshat. I started my way from the bottom in college and ended up as the editor in chief the legitimate way."

"Is that also how you got his ridiculously expensive car?"

"That is none of your damn business. Plus, how do you know it's ridiculously expensive?"

"I'm wearing $500 designer sunglasses, Luke. I know."

"I have no idea how much it cost. It was a gift."

"Are you telling me you're a kept man, Luke? Who's the lucky sugar momma?"

"I got the car from my father, Reid. And I'm no kept man. I work for everything on my own. Plus, even if I wanted to be one, I'd be looking for a sugar daddy, not a sugar momma."

Luke didn't even know why he was telling Reid any of this.

Luke could tell he surprised Reid with that confession, because a look of shock temporarily covered Reid's face. It was so quickly covered up though, Luke thought he may have imagined it.

"Just so you know that car you're driving costs $700,000 and since you are here and no one else, you can just make a quick stop at the hospital."

Reid got back in and sat down.

Luke couldn't believe the audacity of Reid. He was still exactly the same as he was when they were growing up. Holier than thou, pretentious, arrogant, and cocky.

Luke just rolled his eyes and slipped his own designer shades on and started the car.

He turned back to see Amber who had seen the whole thing laughing at his dilemma. She got in her SUV and drove away, leaving Luke to take Reid to the hospital.

That little bitch. I'm going to get her back.

Ten minutes later, they pulled up to the front entrance of the hospital.

Reid stepped out, grabbed his bags from back, and threw a ten-dollar bill at him.

"I don't need your money, Oliver."

"I know, but I felt bad since you don't have a sugar daddy to take care of you and put you in nice clothes."

"What the hell is wrong with what I'm wearing?"

Luke looked down to see a gray t-shirt, jeans, and black shoes.

"Nothing, if you want to look like a 20 year old frat guy."

Reid turned then and walked into the hospital.

Luke was left speechless with his mouth hanging open at one Dr. Reid Oliver.

Luke snapped out of it when he heard a horn behind him.

He put the car in gear then and headed to the newspaper.

There was a certain precocious blonde woman he needed to have a few words with.


	2. Chapter 2

Luke walked into the pit to see all of his employees bustling about. They had four hours to finish the final layout and get it to print.

He saw Amber telling a group of copy editors about his unfortunate experience with Reid at the airport.

Amber caught his glimpse, which was a mix of anger and resignation.

She just laughed and went back to the story.

He turned and went into his office then and slammed the door shut.

He had a migraine. He just wanted to get this over with so he could go home and fall asleep in his nice king sized bed.

He heard a knock and looked up. He waved the co-owner of the newspaper into his office.

"So, I hear you had a run-in with an old friend today."

"You heard wrong. He and I were never friends."

"I remember Reid. He was a freshman when I was a senior. He once stood up to Kevin Jenkins, the bully of the senior class, because he was harassing Katie."

"I still don't get how they are best friends. Reid is rude to everyone but her."

"Reid isn't that bad, Luke. He didn't have the best childhood you know."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing. Just forget it. You're going to believe what you want, anyways."

"Thanks for the pep talk, but my plans don't involve seeing him again while he's here."

"Well, according to Alison, his meeting with Bob went well. I think Reid is going to move back."

"Well, I'll just go out of my way to avoid him then."

"What about your hospital story? If he's the chief of staff, you're going to need him on your side."

"That's why I have minions. I can just order one of them to cover the beat."

"Luke, this story is huge. It could set us up for years financially."

Luke groaned and closed his eyes in frustration.

Of course, she was right. He knew it. He also knew he had people depending on him for their livelihoods.

"I don't want to think about Reid anymore tonight."

"Good. We only have a few hours to finish this edition. Come out of your hole and help with the layout."

"Whatever you say, Emily."

Luke joined his staff then and everything went off without a hitch.

The edition was done with an hour to spare and was sent to the printers.

He was enjoying a cup of tea, when his office phone rang.

Who the hell would be calling me at midnight?

"Luke Snyder."

"Hi Luke. This Katie!"

"Hi, Katie! I haven't talked to you in months!"

"I know, I know. I've been a horrible friend. So here's the thing. I just put Madeline down for the night and I got a call from Reid asking me to pick him up from the hospital. I really can't leave, because Chris was called in for an emergency surgery on one of his patients. I know this is a lot to ask, but could you please just pick him up and drop him off at my house"

"Jesus Christ, Katie. What makes you think I would want to take Reid anywhere, let alone see him?"

"I know, Luke. I'm sorry. I couldn't think of anyone else to call. I knew you'd still be up because of the newspaper. "  
"Why was Reid at the hospital until midnight, if he was merely visiting?"  
"Apparently, Bob offered him the job on the spot, and a neuro trauma came in and Reid scrubbed in."

"Of course he did."

Luke sighed knowing he couldn't turn Katie down.

"I'll pick him up, but you owe me big time. And I'm collecting."

"Thank you, Luke. So much. I have homemade buckeyes. You can take a dozen home."

Luke's stomach grumbled then and he realized he hadn't eaten in over thirteen hours.

"Fine."

Luke grabbed his jacket and headed back to the hospital.

Luke walked in and asked the receptionist to page Dr. Oliver to the parking lot.

He went back and sat in his car listening to music.

He looked in his rearview mirror and saw Reid headed towards him.

Reid didn't say anything. Just slid into the passenger seat.

Luke looked at him then. Reid's hair was messed up, he had blood on his scrubs, and Luke could see the tension in Reid's shoulders.

"Rough day?"

Reid looked at Luke then.

"It was fine."

Reid never was much for words. Luke just rolled his eyes and started the car.

He was about halfway to Katie's when he could hear and feel his stomach rumbling.

Reid said, "You know I could eat."

"Huh?"

Luke wasn't sure what Reid was trying to say.

"Is there a place in Oakdale where they serve food past eight o'clock at night?"

"Yes, Al's is open all night."

"I forgot about Al's. They used to have the best shakes."

"They still do."

"So who runs the diner these days?"

"Henry Coleman and his wife."

"Henry Coleman has a wife? I was always convinced he was gay."

"Really? I never thought about it much, but then he is a lot older than me."

"He and I are the same age, Luke. Not that much older."

Luke shrugged,

"Whatever."

Reid told Luke to stop at Al's and get some dinner, because his constant stomach rumbling was annoying.

Luke pulled in and they went inside.

Luke sat down and ordered a grilled cheese sandwich, with fries and marinara sauce.

Reid ordered a bacon cheeseburger, two orders of fries, and a chocolate shake.

For once, they sat in comfortable silence as they ate their food.

When it came time to leave, Reid threw down a $20 bill.

"Reid, you don't have to pay for me. I can afford my own."

"No, I figured, you went out of your way to pick me up and drop me off. I could afford to tip my chauffeur."

"For the last time, Reid. I'm not your chauffeur. And this is the last time I drive you anywhere."

"Okay." Reid was grinning at him then.

He pushed out the door and got back in the car.

Luke didn't understand Reid at all. One moment he was being a complete jerk to Luke, then the next he was joking around with him.

One thing was for certain though, he was still damn irritating.

Luke thought back to when he was eleven. Two weeks before he entered fifth grade he and his family were invited by Reid's parents to attend a back to school cookout and pool party.

Luke insisted that he was not going. He begged his parents to let him stay home, but they told him he had to go.

He went unwillingly and pouted nearly the whole way there.

When they arrived, he thought his prayers had been answered when he looked around and didn't see Reid anywhere.

But his luck ran out when not even a minute later, Reid was bounding out of the house in his swim trunks and food.

He put the food on the table, barely acknowledging the Snyders presence and jumped into the pool.

Luke looked over to see his parents talking to the Oliver's and Faith playing with Reid's little sister Kennedy.

He was stuck standing all alone. So he walked to the far end of the pool and sat on a lounge chair under the shade of a tree.

He had his Walkman, and he started listening to music.

Ten minutes later, he saw a blonde haired girl come into the backyard and sit down next to him.

She removed her shorts and tank top and jumped in the water too.

She and Reid swam and roughhoused in the water for a bit.

Then she got out of the water and sat on the chair next to him.

She motioned to Luke to take off his headphones.

So he did.

"Hey. I'm Katie Peretti. Who are you?"

"I'm Luke. "

"Cool. So how old are you?"

"I'm eleven."

"Cool."

"Why are you talking to the loser, Katie?"

"I'm just being friendly Reid. Maybe you should try it sometime."  
"I don't need any more friends. Especially not with a loser."

"Be nice, Reid."

"I don't think that's possible, Katie. Besides, I've gotten used to him being a jackass to everyone."

Suddenly Luke felt a huge wave of water come over him.

Reid had just thrown a bucket of water on him.

Luke didn't respond though. He simply got up; made sure his Walkman was still okay, removed his shoes and his shirt to remove the water and walked away.

He could hear Katie berating Reid in the background for his behavior, but Luke didn't care.

He had too many bad memories of Reid to last him a lifetime. He didn't need to stick around for Reid to treat him like crap.

The food was served then and Luke grabbed his hotdog and sat as far away from everyone as possible.

Katie eventually came to him as the night was ending and apologized to him.

The rest of the school year, anytime he saw Katie she always waved to him, or came over to talk to him. His fifth grade friends were astonished that a hot blonde girl in ninth grade who pay him any attention.

Luke loved the attention, but always freaked out when he realized he didn't find Katie hot, like they did.

No, the person he found hot was a certain redheaded boy who treated him like shit, and that confused the hell out of him, more than anything else in his life did.

He convinced himself that he was just confused and that it didn't mean anything.

Luke was snapped back to reality then, when Reid honked his car horn at him.

"Where the hell did you go, Luke? Oz?"

"Shut up, Reid."

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in Katie's driveway.

Luke got out.

"You don't have to walk me to the door. Just because I paid for dinner, doesn't mean I'm expecting you to put out or something. Plus, that's awfully presumptuous of you, assuming I'd even be into that."

"Whatever, Reid. I heard enough rumors in junior high to safely assume you are into men."

"Just because I'm gay, doesn't mean I have to be into every guy I know."

"I never said you did. And that works both ways."

"Why are you coming into Katie's house?"

"Because she promised me chocolate if I dropped you off."

"Oh, I see how it is. You have to be bribed to do something for me."

"Basically."

"Good to see you're still the same selfish brat you've always been."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I remember how annoying you were when we were younger."

"And I remember how much of a jackass you were."

"Water under the bridge."

"So you're telling me that me being annoying is okay to bring up and throw in my face, but you being a jackass is water under the bridge. Go fuck yourself, Reid."

"Actually that isn't a bad idea."

"Oh God. That is not a mental image I want."

Although now that Luke thought about it, maybe it was.

"Mmhmm. Don't even try to deny that I am a gorgeous man."

"How do you ever fit your head through any doors?"

"Easy, I just insist on bigger doors."

"I didn't even know they made them that big."

"That's what he said."

Reid laughed at his own joke and opened the door to the house.

The kitchen light was on and Luke could hear Katie swearing in the background.

"Hey, Katie. Do you kiss your daughter with that mouth?"

Katie turned around then and hugged Reid tightly.

"Welcome home, stranger."

"Where do I put my bags?"

"Down the hall, third door on the left. The bathroom is connected."

Katie turned to Luke.

"Thank you, Luke. I'm glad to see you didn't kill each other."

"Not yet. Although if Reid continues to talk, I may have to cut his tongue out."

Katie just laughed. She handed Luke a tin.

"Here are your buckeyes."

"Thanks for the food."

Luke turned to leave.

Reid was back then having put his bags in the room.

"What, no goodnight kiss, Snyder? I'm offended. Well good thing you were a cheap date."

Luke simply raised his middle finger and walked out the door to the sounds of Katie giggling.

Luke went home then.

He opened his apartment door.

He walked in, got ready for bed and flung himself on his bed.

He lay in bed for a good hour, running over the events of the day.

He was pissed, horny, and still hungry.

He opened the tin and ate a few buckeyes.

But that didn't solve the problem of being horny.

However, when he closed his eyes all he saw was Reid's face and Luke simply refused to even go there.

So with his raging hard on, he flipped over and tried to think of the unsexiest things he could.

Women, stonewashed denim, his parents having sex…

Eventually Luke fell asleep.

He was awoken six hours later with a text message.

Reid accepted the job. Now get to work getting the info-Amber

And Luke's pissy week was complete.

Wonderful, he was never going to escape Reid Oliver now.


	3. Chapter 3

Luke stepped into Java's. He still had a migraine, and the medicine he normally took wasn't working. He left his sunglasses on, because the light was overwhelming.

He waited in line. He could see the cute barista in the background who always flirted with him.

Noah was his name, he thinks.

Maybe in another life they would've hit it off.

He finally reaches the front of the line and orders a chai latte.

"Wearing sunglasses inside, Mr. Snyder? And are you seriously wearing a scarf? Someone is awfully pretentious."

Luke didn't have to turn around to know who was standing behind him.

He paid for his drink, thanked Noah, who grinned at him, and walked to the end of the counter.

He wasn't going to respond to Reid.

Reid ordered a plain black coffee with a shot of amaretto and joined him.

"Are you hung over?"

"No."

"Don't tell me. You do have a sugar daddy and you got beaten because you didn't follow orders?"

"What the hell is your problem? I'm just trying to get something to drink. If you must know I have a migraine and I'm sensitive to the light, okay?"

God he was annoying.

Reid stopped then and looked at him.

"How long have you suffered from them?"

"I don't know. Five years?"

"Have you ever had a neuro consult?"

"No."

"You should really make an appointment to get that checked out, Luke."

"You really think I would let you anywhere near my brain?"

"Yes."  
"Why?"

"Because I'm the best neurosurgeon in the country."

"Well that may be, but you are also an asshole of epic proportions. I think I'd rather take my chances with the second best."

"I'm hurt, Luke."

Reid got his coffee and turned to leave,

"I just offered my services, if you are too stubborn to take me up on it, that's on you."

Reid was gone then with Luke left to stare after him.

Goddamn that arrogant bastard.

Luke grabbed his latte and headed to the newspaper.

He spent the next few hours handing out assignments and stories and then left to have lunch with his mother. His migraine finally starting to subside.

He met his mother at the country club, because she had tennis lessons later that afternoon.

He ordered a Cobb salad and an iced tea.

His mother kept asking him about Reid and how he was doing.

Luke told her she should pay him a visit herself and find out.

Suddenly his mother squealed and jumped up.

Reid Oliver was walking towards them with Dr. Bob Hughes and Dr. Chris Hughes.

Luke rolled his eyes.

Can I not go anywhere without seeing him?

Reid smiled as soon as he saw Lily.

He said something to his companions and they nodded.

Reid walked over to the table and approached Lily.

Lily stood and as soon as Reid was near, she hugged him tightly,

"It is so good to see you dear. How have you been?"

"I've been great, Miss Walsh."

"Actually, it's Snyder again."

"Well then, Mrs. Snyder."

Reid looked at Luke who was picking at his salad. Luke refused to look at him. Maybe if he ignored him he would go away.

"I was just asking Luke about you. I heard you two had a reunion of sorts yesterday."

"I wouldn't quite call it a reunion, so much as unfortunate timing."

Lily grinned as she stared at Reid.

"It's been far too long, Reid. Promise you'll keep in touch."

"I can do better than that. I'm moving back to Oakdale."

"Are you really?"

"Yes, I'm replacing Dr. Hughes as the Chief of Staff."

"Oh, I'm so glad that job is going to someone local."

Luke finally spoke.

"Local? He's lived in fucking Vermont for sixteen year. How in the hell is that considered local?"

"Watch your mouth, Luciano Eduardo Grimaldi-Snyder."  
Reid's eyebrows were up in his hair and then he was laughing.

"Dude, I think you just got verbally spanked, in public, by your mother."

Luke could feel his migraine coming back.

"You know. I think I just figured out the source of my migraines."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. They only spring up when you're around. I guess I'm allergic to asshole."

"Well, if that were the case, you wouldn't be alive, since you are one yourself."

"Good comeback, Reid. Did you have Katie's kids write those zingers for you? I don't know how I'll ever recover."

Lily finally stepped in,

"Now boys, I don't understand why you two just can't play nice."  
"He started it."

"How did I start it? I just came to say hello to your mother."

"You started it by being born."

"Luciano!"

Luke stood up,

"Forget it mother. I'm tired, I have a headache, and I've lost my appetite."  
He dropped a kiss on her cheek and headed toward the door.

"Goodbye, Luciano" in a sarcastic voice from Reid, was the last thing he heard before he stepped into the cool October air.

He was too wired up to go back to work so he made a detour and came to the park.

He parked his car and took a walk.

He was enjoying the leaves changing and the cool air.

There were a few clouds in the sky, but for the most part, it was a gorgeous day.

He sat on a bench then and started to people watch.

He always loved imagining their stories and what their lives were like.

He saw a couple walk past with a stroller and smiled. Maybe someday he would have that.

Yeah right, Luke. You haven't had a serious boyfriend since college.

He heard his phone buzz then and he opened it up.

Luke, what the hell, dude? Some chick is at the hospital interrogating me. Says she works 4 u. Save me.-Casey.

Luke laughed then. He could imagine Amber attacking Casey with questions.

He got up and headed back to his car.

He arrived at the hospital ten minutes later.

Casey was sitting in the lounge, animatedly telling Amber he didn't know anything else.

"I swear. Please don't hurt me."

"Why would I hurt you?"

"Isn't that what they do when you they don't get the answers they want?"

"I'm a reporter, Casey. Not a terrorist."

"Same difference."

"You know that phrase doesn't make any sense…"

Luke headed to the second floor nurses' station then, laughing as Amber went off on another tangent and left poor Casey to fend for himself.

He finally found who he was looking for.

"Hey, Luke. Long time no see!"

"Hey, Ali. Can I ask you some questions?"

"Sure. What about?"

"Well you know I'm doing a story on the hospital and I was just curious how well you knew the doctors that died."  
"Not that well. Both were surgeons. I'm not a surgical nurse, so I was rarely working with them directly. Sometimes I got put on their care for the after surgery, but mostly I worked with the kids."

"Oh. So you didn't know them at all?"

"Well I knew Dr. Redding fairly well. His wife was always in here bringing us food. We got to meet him and he's the one I usually ended up with when covering his patients."

"So anything else-"

"Can I ask why you are harassing my nurses, Mr. Snyder?"

Luke looked back to see Dr. Oliver in his scrubs.

"Their your nurses now?"

"Considering I am officially the new Chief of Staff, yes."

Reid turned to look at Alison.

"Miss Stewart, you are needed in Pediatrics."

"Right away, sir." Ali turned to leave,

"Bye, Luke. I hope I helped you."

"What exactly is she helping you with?"  
"Just a story I'm working on."

"And what might that be?"

"Corruption, scandal, and murder in the hospital."

"Would it be too much to ask that you don't interview my employees while they are on the job?"

"Well, I wouldn't have to interview them, if you would answer some questions."

Reid was walking then and Luke followed him to his office.

"Why are you following me?"

"Because I want an answer."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"I guess."

"What the hell is wrong with you? You basically tell me today that my being born is a problem for you and now you turn around not even two hours later and ask me for a favor? You know that gray matter located between your ears. Maybe you should consider using it sometime."

"Fine. Forget I asked, but since you won't help me, I'm going to have to continue to question your staff."

"Well, continue interrupting their jobs, and I'll have you banned from the hospital."

"Can you even do that? What if I need emergency surgery or something?"

"Well then I guess you'd be screwed. Maybe you should've been a little nicer to the chief of staff."

"So, you would deny me treatment, just because I hurt your feelings? How very mature of you."

"Has nothing to do with being mature, Luke. You are hindering my employees from doing their jobs to the best of their abilities. Their actions and inactions have a direct influence on the number of lives saved per day. I can't imagine that you would be okay with being the reason someone died."

Luke stared at Reid then and realized that he was absolutely right and he felt like shit.

"Fine. I won't interfere with them while they are on the job."

"Glad you can at least listen to reason when it's represented to you. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find Dr. Hughes."

Reid left then and Luke stared after him.

Even after all these years, he was still surprised by Reid.

Even though he was a jackass, he was passionate about medicine. Luke had never seen Reid passionate about anything when they were growing up, and he found it intriguing. He also found himself wondering what it would be like to have someone like that passionate about you.

Damnit, Luke. Quit thinking about him that way.

Luke slapped himself a bit to get himself over those weird thoughts.

He was determined more than ever to find out what was going in the hospital, with our without Reid's help.


	4. Chapter 4

Luke walked into Al's. He scanned the restaurant until he saw who he was looking for.  
Luke slid into the booth.  
"Dude, you look like shit."  
"Nice to see you too, Casey."  
"I'm serious."  
"I haven't been sleeping well."  
"You also look like you haven't showered in a few days."  
Luke just shrugged and stole some fries off Casey's plate.  
"I don't know. I'm just stressed. I've been working on a big story for the paper, and other stuff…"  
"Would this other stuff have anything to do with a certain Doctor?"  
Luke sighed and slumped against the booth.  
"Don't remind me."

"Maybe you should just get it out of your system."  
"Get what out of my system?"  
Casey just arched an eyebrow and looked at Luke.  
"You're not funny, Casey."  
"I wasn't trying to be funny. When is the last time you got laid?"  
Luke thought back then and realized it had been at least a year.  
"I don't know. Awhile."  
"How long is a while?"  
"A year."  
"Jesus fucking Christ, Luke!"  
"It's not that long."  
Casey looked at him flabbergasted.  
Then he was looking at the door and suddenly sinking lower in his seat.  
"Oh God. Don't move Luke."  
Luke turned to look who it was and saw Amber barreling their way.  
"Luke, I have great news. I may have gotten us a lead-"  
She stopped suddenly when she saw who he was with. Her face turned sour.  
"Oh, I wasn't aware you were with company."  
"Well he is, Amber. So if you don't mind, we'd like to get back to our conversation."  
"Always a pleasure, Casey."  
Amber turned to leave.  
"Amber, you can't tell me that we may have a lead and then leave. Join us."  
"I'd rather not."  
"Come on, Amber. Don't leave me hanging."  
Luke gave her his biggest puppy dog eyes and pouty lips.  
"Damn it, Luke. Fine."  
She sat beside Luke and turned to him.  
"Someone said the night of Dr. Rosenthal and Dr. Murdoch's murders, there was a new nurse assigned to their services."  
"What was the name?"  
"Amaria Middling."  
"What information have you found?"  
"Absolutely nothing. It's like this person doesn't exist."  
"Of course not. That would be too easy."  
"I can try and find out something when I'm at work if you want."  
Luke was surprised when Casey spoke.  
Amber piped up,  
"Yeah, that's just what we need a bumbling idiot fucking up this investigation."  
"Really so the fact that I can go pretty much wherever the hell I want to since my grandfather is still the chief of staff, makes me a bumbling idiot?"  
"No, you being a misogynistic immature manwhore makes you a bumbling idiot."  
"Well then, I guess you won't be needing my help after all. I mean I could only get you access to personnel files, but what do you need those for, when you have your great detective work that got you a name and no further leads?"  
"Fuck you, Casey."  
"I think you'd like that too much."  
Amber stood up then.  
"I'm going to get back to work. As much fun as this immature encounter has been, I need to get more information. Later, Luke."  
"Bye, Amber. Always a pleasure."  
Amber just ignored the sarcastic barb thrown at her by Casey.  
Luke turned to Casey.  
"Maybe you should just get it out of your system."  
"Fuck no. There is a difference between our situations. There is no chemistry between Amber and me. I can't stand her. She's a fucking bitch."  
"Casey, you asked her out only to make Alison jealous. Then left her at the Lakeview when Alison did get jealous and you never called her again or explained what happened."  
"So. She can't take a hint?"  
"Casey you were extremely rude. Plus, six months later when Amber went on a date with Aaron, you told her she was cheap and easy."  
"I meant it as a compliment. Like she didn't eat a lot and was easy to get along with."  
"Yeah, I'm sure. You were just pissed that Amber told Alison about what you did. Amber is not the reason you and Ali didn't work out. You just weren't meant to be."  
"Yeah, well I haven't had a serious girlfriend since Ali, and I do blame Amber. If she hadn't opened her gigantic fucking mouth-"  
"Whatever you need to tell yourself, Casey."  
"I don't want to talk about that redheaded she devil anymore."  
"Okay."  
Luke was grinning like a fool at Casey who just rolled his eyes.  
"What?"  
"Nothing. Just thinking that we both have redheaded thorns in our side."  
"Yeah, but yours isn't a complete and utter soul sucking demon from which there is no escape."  
"Have you met Reid?"  
"Seriously, Luke. There is no comparison between the two. Amber goes out of her way to antagonize me and call me stupid or unworthy or just make me feel like shit. Like earlier. I was just trying to be nice and offer my help."  
"Yeah, well Reid has treated me like crap since I was seven years old. He used to make me cry."  
"You win. I have never and will never cry over that termagant."  
"Wait, what? Did you seriously just use a big word, Casey?"  
"I was helping out a patient who was listening to NPR earlier, and they used that word to describe the most horrible woman they knew."  
"I'm stunned. You actually used a big word and in the correct context."  
"Thanks. I try you know."  
Just then Luke's cell phone buzzed.  
He flipped it open to see a text.  
Come to the hospital ASAP. I think we got our in-Amber  
"I gotta go, Case. I'll let you know if we need help later."  
"See you, Luke. Oh and if you run into Amber, remember don't stare directly in its eyes, it doesn't like that."  
"I really wish you two would just get along."  
"The only way I'd get along with her if is she was finally tagged and transported to the zoo where she belongs."  
Luke just shook his head, threw some money down on the table and headed to the hospital.  
Who was this Amaria Middling? Why was there no information on this person?  
Luke had so many questions running through his mind he wasn't paying attention when he stepped outside in the cool air.  
He ran into something solid. Or someone solid.  
"Do you ever watch where you're going?"  
Luke looked up to see Reid in his scrubs.  
"I just figured you were watching where you were going and would step around me. But apparently you weren't either."  
Reid stopped in his tracks then. He had been one upped by Luke in the comebacks.  
"Touché."  
Now, if you're done insulting me, I have to get back to work. Enjoy your day, Reid."  
Luke headed to his car. As he slipped inside he saw Reid still standing on the sidewalk in front of Al's watching him curiously.  
Luke felt a strange shiver run through his body when he saw the intensity with which he was being studied, as if he was an animal on display.  
Luke looked away then and sped off to the hospital, more hopeful than ever that today was the huge breakthrough they had been looking months for with this story.


	5. Chapter 5

As Luke entered the hospital his nerves were on edge. He had butterflies in his stomach, and he couldn't explain why he was so nervous.

He insisted that it was because they finally had a solid lead on the story, but really, deep down, he knew Reid was working and he wanted to avoid another confrontation at all costs.

His phone buzzed then.

I'm waiting at the first floor nurses' station.-A

Luke steeled himself, and walked through the sliding doors.

He rounded the corner and headed to find Amber.

Amber was leaning against the wall, checking her phone.

"So, what's this great lead you got us?"

"Dr. Christopher Robert Hughes."

"You got his middle name after talking to him once?"

"What can I say? I'm thorough."

"You're something, alright. Anyways, isn't he in Pediatrics? How can he help us?"

"Well, turns out the night that Dr. Murdoch died, Chris was working on call in the emergency room. He was there when Murdoch was wheeled in. Murdoch apparently was close to death, but kept whispering one word over and over."

Amber stopped talking then and went back to her phone.

"Which was? You can't leave me hanging here, Amber."

"Salad."

"The word he kept whispering over and over was salad?"

"Yes. Salad."

"And why is that important?"

"Because when they investigated his office, he had a half eaten salad sitting on his desk."

"So, you think Dr. Murdoch was poisoned?"

"That's the general thought."

"I thought his death was confirmed to be of natural causes. The medical examiner said heart failure."

"Yes, but the medical examiner thought it was suspicious as Murdoch was in near perfect health. There were no signs of any heart stress, blockages, or weaknesses around the heart. A 35 year old man with no prior history of heart issues doesn't simply have heart failure."

"Well, if they had this salad in evidence, why didn't the police find any poison traces?"

"This is Oakdale we are talking about, Luke. They don't have all the toxicology tests that say larger cities would."

"And you want to have some of these grounds sent to a larger city to be tested?"

"That's the idea. Chris has a friend from medical school that has access to these tests."

"So how are we going to get some of the salad to be sampled? Jack and Margo aren't just going to turn over evidence because we have a hunch."

"Don't worry about it. The samples have already been sent."

"How exactly did you get these samples, Amber?"

"Oh relax, Luke. I didn't steal them if that is what you are implying. Let's just say I may have flirted with a particular handsome, if not dimwitted, officer to get me what I needed."

"You do realize that he could lose his job and you could go to jail for tampering with evidence, right?"

"Oh relax, this is the Oakdale PD. They won't even realize anything is missing."

Luke just sighed and leaned his head against the wall.

"So, what did Chris find out?"

"They aren't back yet, but we'll know something soon."

"Let me know when you do, and for the love of God, Amber. Don't do anything else illegal. "

"You're no fun. I promise to call you as soon as I know anything."

"Promise me on the other thing."

"I can't do that."

"Amber…"

"Luke, I can only promise that if I do something and get caught, I won't bring you down. "

"You are so annoying. I really wish I could fire you."

"You can't though. I'm the only one at the paper that you actually like."

Luke sighed dramatically then,

"Just be safe. Promise me that."

"I'll do my best, Luke. That I can promise."

Luke left then.

He rounded the corner and had just made it out the front doors when he heard a large sigh behind him.

He felt the sudden urge to laugh, but then reminded himself that he did not find Reid amusing. So he quashed that.

His heart was racing though and his stomach felt like it had just done somersaults inside him.

"Did you at least give them some sort of incentive for answering your questions this time?"

"Don't worry, Reid. I wasn't questioning any of your precious employees. I was visiting a friend."

"Oh."

Luke had fully expected a snarky response to his statement and when it didn't come he was shocked and truth be told, a little let down.

He hated that though. He hated the confusion and the constant struggle within himself, and the tension he felt whenever he was near Reid. All he wanted was to get out of there and away from the perplexity.

"Now if you'll excuse me I have to get to a meeting."

"Bye, Luke."

Reid smiled at him, and Luke's stomach started doing the somersaults again.

Fuck.

He put his hand against one of the pillars. He suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded.

"Are you okay, Mr. Snyder?"

"I'm fine. Just a little lightheaded."

Luke willed himself to calm down. Finally, once he was breathing normally again, he stepped forward and prepared to find his car.

He was embarrassed. He recognized all the signs for what they were. He still had a thing for Reid Oliver after all these years. He had it in high school, he had it now, and he would have it until the day he died. He was tired of pretending it wasn't what it was. It was better to identify it, address it, accept it, and internalize it. There was no way in hell he would ever act on it, because as much as he wanted Reid, he couldn't stand him.

"Bye, Reid."

Luke started walking to the parking lot then. He pulled his keys out and put his phone in his pocket.

He could feel someone following him.

He turned around to see Reid following him.

"Is there a reason you're following me?"

"Relax, Luke. I'm not going to rape you or something. I'm done for the day and since I drove here in a car and parked in this thing called a parking lot, I thought it would probably be a good idea to drive said car home."

Luke relaxed a bit then. He finally found his car, and threw his jacket in the back.

He saw Reid walk to a vintage car.

Luke new it was expensive and called out,

"So, let me get this straight. You have a vintage, what is that, a Porsche, and you make fun of me for driving a fancy car?"

"This car only cost me $50,000, not $700,000, and yes it's a Porsche."

"See the thing is, Reid, I didn't go out and spend $700,000 on my car. You did go out and spend $50,000."

"Do you not know me at all? You saw what I was wearing the night I came to town. Did you expect me to drive a Honda?"

"No, I don't know you. I hadn't seen you in 16 years before that night, and even then before that we were barely acquaintances."

"And whose fault was that?"

"YOURS!"

"Oh, really?"

"Are you kidding me? You treated me like shit from the day you met me."

"Maybe you shouldn't have been so damn annoying."

"Oh, okay. It's my fault you were an asshole to a seven year old."

"You should really just get over it."

"How are youa doctor? You have the worst people skills of anyone I have ever seen."

"I can separate my personal from my professional life."

"So does that mean if I were a patient, you'd actually have to be nice to me?"

"Well, personally, I can't stand you. But from a professional standpoint, I would treat you like any other patient. Besides, I like your mother, and she seems to love you for some unknown reason. I guess if you push a nine pound object out of your body and don't die from it, you feel some sort of attachment to it."

"Are you done being a prick?"

"Don't you have a meeting to get to?"

"No, I made that up so I didn't have to talk to you."

"Yeah? How's that working out for you?"

"I chose to talk to you, so it's going fine."

"Yeah, okay. Deep down you know you love talking to me. Otherwise, you wouldn't continue to do so every time you see me."

"Yeah, I really love stooping to your level of immaturity."

Reid laughed and slid in his car then.

"Thanks for the stimulating conversation, Luke."

Reid peeled out of the parking lot then and turned the corner.

Luke just watched him go.

He realized that he hadn't asked the one question he had wanted to ask Reid.


	6. Chapter 6

Luke was exhausted, so he headed home. Not only was he physically tired, but the stress of his work and the constant tensions between him and Reid had taken its toll on his body.

He stepped into his apartment. He deposited the majority of his mail in the trash and his keys on the kitchen counter. He grabbed some vitamin water from his fridge and flung himself over the back of his couch.

He flipped the TV on and checked the dvr. Even the dvr hated him. He had no new taped shows, and every channel he flipped to had happy couples falling in love, making out, having sex, getting married, or making babies.

Frustrated he flipped the t v off, flung the remote on the coffee table and headed to take a shower.

It wasn't his fault that Reid took up nearly every waking moment. If only Reid hadn't come back and messed up the perfect balance he had achieved.

Luke stood under the warm water feeling the heat and constant pressure slowly work out some of the kinks in his neck and shoulders.

His mend wandered to Reid then almost of its own volition.

Even the mere thought of Reid caused Luke to start getting hard.

Luke sighed and braced his arms against the shower walls.

He hated feeling this way.

All he could see when he closed his eyes was Reid's chiseled face, brilliant blue eyes, and stunning smile. He rarely got to see that smile, but when he did, it took all he had in him not to crush Reid's lips to his own.

Damnit! Snap out of it, Luke!

But, no matter what Luke tried to focus on, his mind always wandered back to Reid. His mind and his body refused to cooperate with him.

Finally after a few minutes of hard resolve and cold water he gave up trying.

He was still achingly hard and now tenser than when he got in the shower.

He just didn't care anymore. So he let his imagination take him wherever it felt like.

Obviously, his mind went to Reid.

He imagined Reid opening the shower curtain and stepping in to face him.

With eyes met, Reid slowly but surely made his way forward until he had Luke pinned up against the shower wall.

His arms went out to frame either side of his face.

He leaned in and whispered into Luke's ear,

"Is this what you want?"

Luke could feel the warmth of Reid's breath tickle his ear and the hairs on his arms stood on end.

He shivered slightly as he sees Reid's eyes go from light blue to dark blue and burning with lust and passion.

"What do you mean?"

"Clearly you conjured me up for a reason."

Luke turned his face then and stared into the deep ocean of Reid's eyes.

Even if this was only a fantasy, he was going to make the best of it. Lord knows he needed it.

Lips were on lips then and Luke could feel Reid's fingers pressing into his hips and stomach.

He could feel Reid's hardness pressed into his own and he arches up to meet Reid's movements.

Luke's mouth was opened suddenly by Reid's tongue and he gladly let Reid explore every part of it.

Reid's mouth was gone then and Luke whined his desperation and disapproval.

But then Reid's lips and tongue were moving farther and farther down his body, leaving a trail of saliva. He could feel every kiss, every touch to his toes which were curled on the floor of the shower.

Luke couldn't remember the last time he felt like this, it had been years.

His head was swimming and he thought he was going to collapse.

But Reid was holding him up, and when Reid placed small feather like kisses on the insides of his thighs, Luke shudders.

Reid kissed in slowly, dragging out the sensation and torturing Luke.

Luke was trembling with anticipation, his hands already fisted in Reid's hair.

Suddenly without warning, Reid's mouth was on him and Luke managed a strangled cry.

Luke could barely form any thoughts as Reid was licking from base to tip and swallowing him over and over again.

Each time he did he gets more and more of Luke in, until finally Reid had him all the way in.

Then unlike anything Luke ever experienced in his life, Reid was doing something with his teeth and tongue.

He nearly came right there and then, but he wanted his fantasy to last. And when Reid put one of his hands in Luke's mouth, he gladly worked on it, as a distraction. Reid removed the hand after a bit, and moved his hands to pull Luke even closer.

He was massaging his ass then and gently opening him. When Luke felt the first finger enter him he nearly fell over, but then Reid entered two more.

With each brush of the knuckles over his prostate, Luke could feel the pressure building and the tightening in his balls. When Reid moaned and added vibration to his cock it sent him over the edge.

He pulled Reid's hair even tighter and finally released while groaning Reid's name.

He nearly collapsed down the back of the wall, but Reid was holding him steady against the shower wall.

Reid slowly moved his body up Luke's who could still feel how hard Reid is.

Luke moved to grab for Reid's cock, but Reid just shook his head and said,

"I'm only here for your pleasure."

Reid kissed Luke again and ran his fingers gently down Luke's side.

It wasn't until he felt the cold water stinging his face did Luke open his eyes.

He could see that he sprayed all over himself and the wall.

He cleaned the shower up and himself.

As he stepped out of the shower, he was in an even worse mood.

He thought giving in to the fantasy would get rid of it.

Instead he was hard again and even more exhausted.

He dragged himself to bed. As he lay there with thoughts of Reid and what he only give if he could just get him out of his mind.

He fell asleep unsatisfied and tense reliving the fantasy he had in the shower thinking if only it had happened, so he could get some damn sleep.

The next morning he woke up to a sunny, beautiful day. He decided to go visit his family. He hadn't seen his siblings for a few weeks and he wanted to talk to his mom.

He stepped into his mother's house to find out that Faith had a date, Natalie was a tap dance practice, and Ethan was spending the night at the farm with Meg and Eliza.

He said goodbye to Faith, and told her to keep her pants on.

He sat on the couch feeling sorry for himself, until he saw Faith's laptop sitting on the coffee table.

He opened it up, and once he got past the Jacob and Bella screensaver he opened up the internet browser.

He had just googled a few poisons when he heard a knock at the door.

He opened the door, and his heart jumped when he saw who it was.

It was Reid.

"Damn, here I went thinking I would make a full week without having to see you. Three days Luke free was nice though."

"If you came over to make fun of me, you can leave."

"I didn't you'd be here. Don't you have your own place?"

"Yes, but I have this thing called a mother, and she likes when I visit her, unlike certain people I know."

"I'm pretty sure your mother loves when I visit her. Anyways, coincidentally, I'm here to see your mother as well."

"Well, she's not back yet. I'll let her know you stopped by."

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather stay and wait for her. She did ask me to stop by."

"Well feel free to wait on the porch then."

Luke slammed the door in a shocked Reid's face.

Luke went back to the computer then and started reading again.

He could hear Reid on the phone blasting his assistant for telling him the wrong time.

Luke just grinned, nothing like your enemy having to suffer.

Suddenly things were quiet and Luke got hopeful that Reid had left.

However, Luke's luck was short. Within a few minutes Luke could hear talking very loudly.

He went to the window to see what Reid was doing.

Reid was sitting on the porch reading from sort of Medical Journal.

"Chronic anal fissure is a common and distressingproblem which occurs with equal frequency in men

and women. The majority occur in the posterior midline below the dentate line extending up to the anal verge."

"What the hell, Reid? Why are you reading a medical journal about anal fissures out loud?"

"Because it's actually quite interesting and because I knew you'd hate it."

Luke went back to his computer and turned on music to drown Reid out.

When all was quiet again he turned the music down.

"Hey Luke, can you get me something to drink? It's really hot out here and I need to stay hydrated."

"You'll live."  
"Fine." Reid then started to remove his shirt.

"You can't undress on my mother's front porch, Reid."

"I'm not going to sit out in 90 degree weather without some sort of hydration or unless you let me in to the air conditioning. And if you give me liquids I will eventually have to urinate, and you'll have to let me in anyways, unless you want me to get completely naked and urinate in your mother's flower pots."

Luke knew Reid well enough to know he wasn't lying.

He opened the door then.

"For the sake of all Oakdale residents you can come in."

Reid stepped around him and grinned cheekily at Luke.

Luke just rolled his eyes and went to grab some Lemonade.

When he walked back into the room, Reid was reading the pages he had up on Google.

This will be fun to explain.

"Untraceable poisons, huh? I should let you know that most poisons can be traced now. You'd be better at killing someone then burning them in a crematorium. Who's going to look for a murder victim there? "

"You've thought about this?"

"Clearly you have too, should I be worried?"

"I'm working on a story for the paper, but I can see how other people would want you dead."

"Always so sweet, Luke. I don't understand how you don't have a husband. By the way, based on your notes, the poison you're looking at is most likely hemlock."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's extremely fast moving and would lead to weakening of muscles in most organs, but the weakening of the heart muscles is what leads to heart failure. It's often mistaken for wild carrots and people have eaten them on accident and died twenty minutes later. It's a horrible poison. Most people are mentally aware until they die and can feel themselves dying. It's cruel, slow, and painful."

"Wow. How do you know so much about hemlock?"

"We had a case at my old hospital a few years ago. A really nice young man. Died alone from hemlock poisoning. I sat with him until he passed."

"That's horrible."

"It truly is."

Both were silent for a moment as they realized they actually had a serious conversation for the first time ever.

Reid finally broke the silence,

"So how does hemlock fit into your story?"

"I'm not sure yet. We're waiting for the reports to confirm it was even hemlock."

"So, what other information have you received?"

"Nothing else really. That's why I was at the hospital the other day. Trying to get some sort of information."

Reid picked up Luke's case file.

"Amaria Middling. What an odd name."

"What do you mean?"

"Well Amaria is Greek, and Middling is an Old English name. Usually you get a closer match on names based on where someone was born."

"Maybe Middling is a married name?"

"Could be, just still an odd choice."

Reid typed the name into Google.

No results came up.

"Are you sure that's the name?"

"Yeah. That's t he name Amber got from Alison Stewart."

"Nurse Stewart knew the name of the nurse with no history?"

"Yeah, why?"

"It's just odd. I mean Alison isn't a surgical nurse, but according to your notes, Amaria was."

"Why is that weird?"

"I've been at hospitals long enough to know that surgical nurses and registered nurses don't usually hang out."

"I just figured Ali looked up her name in the records."

"But it says here that Ali specifically recalled seeing and talking to Amaria the night that Dr. Murdoch died."

"I don't know, Reid. I just got handed this information yesterday."

"So, this is the big story you're working on. Murder and intrigue at my new hospital?"

"Yep."

"And you needed my help?"

"Unfortunately."

"Why didn't you ask the other night?"

"Because you left before I could."

"Well, I'll see what I can dig up on Amaria Middling tomorrow at work."

"Thanks."

Lily walked in the door then and grinned.

"How are my two favorite gay men?"

"Still gay."

Lily just laughed at Reid.

"I'm so glad you could stop by. I'm sorry I'm late. I had a business meeting that ran late."

"No problem. Luke and I were actually civil today."

Lily threw a grin at Luke who rolled his eyes.

"So, do you want to see it now?"  
"Sure."

Luke's ears perked up at that,

"See what, mother?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you? I offered Reid a place to stay until he can find a proper home."

"Where exactly is he supposed to stay?"

"You're old room."  
"Mother, he can't stay here!"

"Why not?"

"Because that means I have to see him every time I come over here. It's bad enough having to run into him randomly."

"Geeze, thanks, Luke."

"Luke! You aren't living here anymore. You have your own apartment. So you really have no say anymore. Just because you have a problem with Reid doesn't mean anyone else in this family does. Just suck it up."

Luke was pissed.

"You know, it's one thing to take advantage of Bob Hughes and wheedle your way back into town, but it's another thing to do that to my mother."

"I am not a wheedler. I do not wheedle anywhere. All I know is that your mother was being polite and I decided to take her up on the offer, seeing as I'm staying in town and don't want to live at the Lakeview anymore."

Luke grabbed his things and slammed out of the house.

For a minute there he thought Reid might actually be human and have a heart, but he clearly didn't.

Luke drove straight to Yo's.

"Give your strongest drink."

Suddenly a shot was in his hand.

He looked at it held it in his hands and smelled it.

Finally, after calming down he slid the drink away and ordered a soda.

He sensed someone sit down beside him and order a beer.

"Did you follow me here?"

"This time? Yes."

"Why?"

"Because your mother was afraid you would do something stupid."

"I don't need your pity or your charity, Reid. Leave me the hell alone."

"I'm not going to do that, Luke."

Luke slid his drink over to Reid.

"It's soda. Taste it and see."

"I can see that."

"So clearly your intervention is not wanted or needed."

"Why did you start drinking, Luke?"

"What?"

"Why did you start drinking?"

"There were a lot of reasons, most of which are unimportant now."

"Did it have anything to do with me?"

Luke sighed and closed his eyes.

"I told myself it did. But really, I just liked the way it made me feel. Like I was stronger and better than who I actually was. Honestly Reid, it was over 15 years ago. I drank, I became an alcoholic, and I sobered up. I've been clean now for fourteen years without a single relapse. Tonight was the first time in years I even thought about alcohol."

"I'm sorry, Luke."

"I don't want your sympathy, Reid."

"I know."

Luke stood up and paid for his drink.

He grabbed his jacket and headed out into the cool night air.

He looked back and saw Reid watching him.

Luke's thoughts were a jumbled mess, but he couldn't deal with anymore drama tonight and he refused to relive the events that led to his drinking.

So he went home, fell into bed, and dreamed of long island iced teas and whiskey sours.


	7. Chapter 7

Luke was sitting as his desk the next afternoon when Amber burst through his door,

"It's definitely hemlock. Chris verified it with three separate poison experts."

"What about Dr. Rosenthal? I mean they died on the same night, but he didn't eat salad."

"No, but I'm working on a lead for that as we speak."

"I may have gotten Reid on our side."

"Really?" Amber's eyes went wide and she started to smile.

"Yeah, he helped me out yesterday with the case and was the one who suggested hemlock in the first place."

"Well, well. Your Dr. Oliver may prove useful after all."

"Speaking of useful, have you interviewed Casey yet?"

"Casey is not what I could useful."

"Alright, I wasn't planning on doing this, but I'm pulling rank as your boss. Go to the hospital and interview Casey. Emily and I have to meet with some of our backers tonight and I can't do it."

"Are you trying to make me have a nervous breakdown?"

"Now you know what I feel every time you do something stupid or dangerous when you're working on leads."

"Fine. But you owe me."

"How do I owe you? You're my employee; the only thing you're going to get is a paycheck."

Amber scowled at Luke and left the office.

An hour later, Luke entered Metro to find Emily and some of their financial backers waiting for him.

Luke was there in appearance only. His mind wandered and he was grateful for a distraction when Amber walked into the restaurant. She had on a thin pencil skirt and white dress shirt.

She had changed between the newspaper and here.

A few minutes later, Casey walked in wearing a dress shirt, tie, and khaki pants.

Luke was stunned. He had never seen Casey in anything but jeans and t-shirt, unless he was on a date.

Then Casey greeted Amber with a kiss and Luke never choked on his water.

He drew the attention of his fellow guests and he smiled and recovered quickly.

He watched Casey and Amber on their date and they were definitely showing all the signs of not only not hating each other, but being a couple.

As his meeting wrapped up, he ordered food to go.

He bid his company goodnight and stood at the bar.

Casey happened to look up then and notice Luke standing there staring at him.

Casey's face flushed and Luke knew then and there that they were together.

Luke walked over to the table.

"So, this is your idea of interviewing him, Amber? I sincerely hope you weren't planning to use this on your expense report."

Amber's head shot up when she heard Luke's voice.

She was blushing and had a look of sheer panic in her eyes.

"Why the hell are you guys pretending to hate each other?"

"We didn't want to prove everyone right."

"What are you talking about?"

Casey spoke up,

"Do you remember the last conversation you and I had at Al's?"

"Yeah."

"And you remember what advice we gave each other?"

Luke racked his brain.

"Oh, you mean that thing. Yes. I remember."

"I may have taken you up on that advice that afternoon."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"I can't say I'm surprised. So technically this is your first date and I'm ruining it."

"No, it's not a date."

"Amber…"

"Fine, it's a date."

Amber just grinned when Casey nudged her.

"Well, I'm just glad to see that one of us took the advice."

"It's not too late you know."

"Casey, there is no way in hell that is ever going to happen. I'm better off staying single and celibate the rest of my life. Trust me."

"Whatever you say dude, eventually you're gonna have to get over it and just follow your heart."

"Yeah, okay. I'm just going to get over the thing that led me to drinking. I'm not that strong. What if it happens again? I don't think I'd ever recover."

"You are much stronger than you give yourself credit for, Luke. Plus, you are now 15 years older."

"Whatever. Enjoy your dinner, guys."

Luke went to pick up his food and ordered champagne and cheesecake for Casey and Amber and paid their bill.

He waved at them and headed home.

He sat at his kitchen table eating his dinner alone, once again.

He hated the empty feeling of his apartment.

He had bought this apartment when he turned 25. He had just gotten a job as a copy editor and wanted to be on his own. He had dated now and then, but nothing too serious, when he met Adam. Adam was the first guy since Reid; he ever felt a spark with. They dated on and off for a few years, and while the sex was good, it was nowhere near what he had experienced with Reid.

As soon as Luke let his mind go there, he knew he was done.

Luke flashed back to high school.

He remembered all the nights his parents fought. He could hear them arguing about whether or not he should be allowed to spend time with his biological dad, whether or not Lily was cheating on him with his biological, et cetera et cetera. He would sneak out and sleep in his tree house or go to a friend's house. One night, when it had gotten particularly bad he was walking down the street to go spend the night with his friend Alex, when he heard a car with loud music blaring pull up beside him.

Luke turned to see Reid and Katie.

"Luke, where are you going at eleven a clock at night?"  
Katie seemed worried.

"I'm walking over to my friend Alex's house."

"Do your parents know?"  
"No, and I would appreciate if you wouldn't tell them."

Reid finally spoke,

"Why did you sneak out?"  
"Because they constantly fight and I can never get any sleep when they do."

"So you walk alone at night down a deserted street?"

"Why do you care, Reid?"

Reid ignored him.

"Get in the car, Luke."

"Why?"

"Because you are coming to my house. You can stay with me. I only live a few houses away and I would feel better knowing you aren't traipsing all over town in the dead of night."  
"I'm not staying with you."

"If you won't do it for Reid, will you do it for me?"

Katie gave him one of her trademark smiles and Luke sighed. He got in the car.

Thus began the night he started spending time alone with Reid.

Almost every night he'd show up through Reid's window.

Reid would throw him a pillow and a blanket and Luke would fall asleep.

He didn't know when it happened, but around the fifth month of them sharing a bedroom, they started talking.

Luke started going over earlier and earlier in the evenings.

One night Reid was sitting on his bed filling out paperwork.

"What are you doing?"

"Filling out applications for school."

"Where are you thinking about going?"

"Well, I'm applying to Yale, Harvard, Stamford, and the University of Vermont.

"Vermont? Why not Oakdale University?"

"I want the best. My plan is to go to med school and the University of Vermont, is actually one of the top in the nation."  
"Oh."

Luke sat on the floor and pulled out his journal. By now Reid had made him a permanent makeshift bed, since he was over there now every night.

Luke lay against his pillow and started writing.

"What are you working on?"

"Nothing. Mrs. Johnson is thinking of placing me in A.P. English, and I have to show her and Mr. Fenwick some samples of my writing."

"Really? AP English? That's great, Luke. I'm sure whatever you write will be fine."

"Did you just give me a backhanded compliment?"

"Maybe."

Reid just grinned facetiously and went back to his applications.

Over the next few months they joked around and Luke found himself actually looking forward to spending time with Reid and hanging out.

Reid had pretty much went from being a complete asshole to Luke to giving him advice on school, telling him funny stories about the stupid people in his classes, and sharing new music with him.

By the time Christmas break was over and they were in their second semester at school, Luke had developed a full blown crush on Reid.

Luke knew Reid was gay, because of the stories he had heard from people in his class. But Reid had no idea that Luke was. Luke had never told anyone. Not any of his friends, not Katie, and especially not his parents.

Plus he knew Reid didn't feel that way about him. What had once been full blown hatred on Reid's part was now reluctant tolerance. Reid had one more than one occasion made comments about Luke being like a younger brother to him.

So, Luke never said anything to Reid. One night in February, Luke had fallen asleep at his house and slept all through the night. It was the first night since September that he hadn't needed to go to Reid's house.

The next day at the end of school, he was putting his books in his bag, when Reid slammed his door shut.

"So, I take it you don't need me anymore?"

"What?"

"I mean, I can finally have my pillow and blankets back?"  
"I don't know. My parents didn't fight for the first time last night. So I was able to sleep in my bed."

"Well, that's great then. It's obvious you don't need anything from me anymore."

Reid was once again being cold and hostile.

"Why are you being so mean, Reid?"  
"I'm not being mean."

"I thought you'd be happy to have you room back to yourself for one night."  
"Yeah, well, when you didn't show up, I thought something may have happened to you."

Luke was stunned.

"Are you saying you actually care about me, Reid?"

"No."

But his neck and face which was turning red, betrayed his words.

"Yes, you do."

Luke started walking then.

He rounded a corner to see an empty hallway. Reid was a few steps behind him.

Luke suddenly grabbed Reid and shoved him into the bathroom.

Reid's face went from pouting to shocked.

Luke shoved him up against the door and proceeded to kiss him.

Reid's lips were soft and warm and he tasted like caramel.

He stepped back then and Reid's eyes were glazed over with shock.

Reid stumbled forward and Luke took that opportunity to open the door and walk out.

He made it half way home before the adrenaline wore off and he realized what he had just done.

He started shaking then.

He had just kissed Reid out of the blue.

He entered his house, saw his mother at the dining room table feeding his baby brother, blew past her, and ran up to his room.

He grabbed his cd player from the shelf, threw himself under the covers and proceeded to freak out under the covers.

A few minutes later he heard a knock at his door.

"Come in."

His mom came in with cookies and lemonade.

"What's wrong, honey?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean why did you storm through the house looking like you had just seen a ghost, and why are you holed up under your blankets?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm fine, mom. Really."

"Whatever you say. I left you a snack. You know you can talk to your dad and I about anything."

"I know, mom. Really, there's nothing to worry about."

"Well let me know if you want to talk."

Lily turned and left then.

Luke got up and grabbed some lemonade.

Twenty minutes later he was writing in his journal, when he rustling in the tree outside his window.

He looked back and saw Reid climbing through his window.

"How did you know where my bedroom was?"

"The same reason you knew where mine was? You showed me."

"Oh, yeah."

"What the hell was that for, Luke?"  
"What do you mean?"

"Why did you kiss me?"

"I don't know. Because I wanted to."

Reid just looked at him.

Luke's heart caught in his chest.

Reid walked over to where he was sitting and pulled him up.

Then Reid kissed Luke and his head was swimming.

It was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before.

Then Reid pushed Luke away and he was out the window.

Suddenly, Luke heard knocking on his door and he snapped out of his memories.

He shook his head and realized he was still sitting at the table, with now cold food.

He stood up and opened the door.

"Hey, Luke."

"Hey."

Luke opened the door as Faith came in.

"Faith, what are you doing here?"

"I came to visit my favorite big brother."

"I'm your only big brother."

"I am back for a few months."

"Seriously?"

"Yep."

Luke grabbed Faith and gave her a giant bear hug.

"I'm so glad, Faith."

"Yeah, when my last assignment was over, I realized how much I missed all of you guys, and I wanted to reconnect with people here."

"People or Gabriel?"

"I haven't talked to Gabriel in seven years. Is he even still here?"

"Yeah, he is the CFO of Worldwide."

"Well, he did not factor into my decision to move back at all."

"Whatever you say. So where are you staying?"  
"Most likely my old room at Mom's."

"You should totally stay with me. I have an extra room, and it would be nice to have someone around."

"Really?"

"Yeah, totally."

"So, how's the love life?"

"Non-existent. You?"  
"Max and I broke up."

"Really? I thought you two would end up married."

"So did I. Then one day I walked into our house, and he was fucking our interpreter."

"So, that's why you came home."

"I kicked him out, finished my assignment and came home."

"I'm so sorry, Faith."

"Thanks."

Faith walked over to the table and picked up some of the noodles off Luke's plate and ate them.

"I forgot how good fake Chinese food is."

Luke grabbed Faith's bags and placed them in the guest room.

"You'll stay in here. There are extra blankets in the hallway."

"Thanks, big brother."

Luke grinned and hugged her again.

Luke went back to the living room and pulled out the case file.

An hour later Faith was back, having taken a shower and changed into pajamas.

"So, I ran into Liberty and Parker at Java. They said Reid was back."

"They were right."

"So, how was seeing him again?"

"How do you think?"

"I guess my only question is are you still on the wagon?"  
"Yes, Faith. I'm much stronger than I was in high school."

"I know, but no one would blame you for struggling with him being back."

"Well, we reverted back to our original relationship of hating each other. It's far easier."

"Mom seems to be worried too. I think she thinks you are going to fall again and this time you won't recover."

"It's nice to see how little faith she has in me."

"Luke, you know why."

"I don't want to have this conversation anymore. I am an alcoholic. I don't drink anymore. I'm doing well. For the most part I'm happy."

"Fine. But if you ever feel the need to vent or talk or whatever, don't hesitate to call me."

Faith put her head on Luke's shoulder.

"I've missed you."

Luke smiled and hugged her.

"You too."

He turned the television on and he and Faith watched Big Brother and laughed and talked until 3 a.m.

Luke finally dragged himself to bed. He prayed the night would be dreamless, one memory was bad enough, and another might break him completely.


	8. Chapter 8

Luke tossed and turned, then finally slipped into a fitful sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he sees Reid in high school.

Three days after they had kissed, Luke was standing in line at the cafeteria at school when he felt hot breath in his ear.

"You should come over tonight."

"Why?"

"Because you look like crap. I know your parents are fighting again. You need to get some sleep, or you'll end up falling asleep again in Mrs. Johnson's class and you'll keep getting detention."

"I'll think about it."

Luke was over there at seven p.m.

Reid brought up apple pie and ice cream.

Luke ate it and groaned,

"This is the best pie, I've ever had."

"I'll let my mom know."

"Seriously, Reid. You are so lucky, my mom doesn't know how to cook or bake."

"Yeah, well, I'd take your mom over mine any day of the week."

"What does that mean?"

"She has been on my case lately."

"For what?"

"For not bringing girls home, for spending all my time holed up in my room at nights, for wanting to move far away for school."

"Do they know you're gay?"

"Yes. They know. My mom believes it's just a phase though and I'll grow out of it. So she keeps trying to hook me up with girls from our church. My dad knows and told me that as long as I'm happy, he's happy for me. But he is scared of my mom and I know he loves me, but he can't really side with me."

"That's awful, Reid."

"Whatever. My parents are happily married, and I'm miserable, you're parents are fighting, and you're miserable. Aren't we quite the pair?"

Luke's heart jumped in his chest, when he heard Reid said that.

"A pair?"

"It's an idiom, Luke."

Luke couldn't keep the disappointment off his face.

He turned away and shoveled more pie in his mouth.

Reid turned back to his homework.

A few minutes later, Luke who was laying on the floor reading, felt Reid slide down beside him.

Luke flipped over on his side and looked at Reid.

There were no words, but the air was heavy with tension.

Reid slid forward slightly and pulled Luke to him.

Then Reid was kissing Luke. Luke sighed and moved closer to Reid.

What started out as a chaste kiss quickly turned passionate.

Reid slipped his tongue into Luke's mouth who groaned against him.

Eventually Luke's lungs were burning and he was tingling all over.

Reid eventually broke the kiss and pushed Luke away.

"You should probably go home, Luke."

"What the hell for?"

"I don't want to take advantage of you, Luke."

"How are you taking advantage of me if I'm a willing participant?"

"I just don't want to do something you'll end up regretting."

"Why don't you let me decide that?"

"Luke, if I start kissing you again, I'm not going to be able to stop, and I don't think you're ready for anything else."

"Oh, so now you're the expert on what I am and am not ready for?"

"Why are you getting mad, Luke? I'm just trying to look out for you."

"Why am I mad? You keep treating me like I'm 12."

"If I don't look out for you, who will?"

"You know what, forget it. I'm going home. That's a good idea."

Luke turned around then, grabbed his backpack and jacket and was out the window.

"Luke, wait."

"For what? For you to string me along again and then kick me out?"

"Luke, that's not how it is at all."

"Whatever. I'll see you at school."

Reid and Luke saw each other at school, but didn't talk. A week passed, and then on that Saturday afternoon, Katie showed up at Luke's front door.

"Hey, just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out this afternoon."

"You're not hanging out with Reid?"

"Nope. He has a family thing."

"Sure."

Katie insisted on taking him for burgers at Al's.

They were sitting in the booth, when Katie finally broached the subject,

"So, you know how much I love you, Luke, but Reid is my best friend. And I really hate seeing you two like this. I wish you'd two would just make up."

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about."

"Come one, Luke. Don't give me that, I'm not stupid."

"I know you're not."

"So don't sit there and tell me there isn't something going on between my two best friends."

"Well there isn't anything going on. At least not anymore."

"But, I can tell that you don't want that to be the case."

"I'm not the one who decided that. That was Reid."

"Reid is a tough cookie to crack. I mean how long did it take for you two to become friends?"

"Are we friends? I mean I don't even know that."

"Are you kidding me? Reid would have never allowed anyone, even men to basically move in with him for five months. Reid cares a lot about you, to the point of sharing food with you. And you know how he is with food."

Luke sighed.

"I'm really tired of this crap. Why are things so damn complicated?"

"It's called falling in love, Luke. The first time is always the hardest and most awkward."

"Love? This isn't love; this is like Chinese water torture."

Katie just laughed and squeezed his hand.

"Do you want to go catch a movie?"

"Sure."

They headed to Old Town then. Luke and Katie stopped for ice cream. When Luke turned around he saw Reid with his parents. They were just leaving a church. Reid was dressed up in a tuxedo. He looked absolutely gorgeous.

Luke's heart jumped in his chest.

Reid said something to his mother and walked over to Katie and Luke.

"Hey Katie."

"Hey Reid."

"Luke."

"Reid."

Reid was staring intensely at Luke who shifted uncomfortably.

Katie looked back and forth between her two friends and finally rolled her eyes.

"Try having a conversation."

She walked into the bookstore then.

Reid didn't bat an eye.

Finally Luke couldn't handle it anymore,

"How are you Reid?"

"I'm fine, how are you?"

"Good."

"That's good."

"Who got married?"

"My cousin, Stephanie. I was an usher."

"You look nice in your tux."

"Thanks."

Reid's mother was watching them.

Luke grabbed Reid's arm and led him around the corner.

Just then both broke out with,

"I'm sorry."

They grinned and laughed then.

Luke said,

"No really. I am sorry. I know you were only trying to look out for me. I appreciate it."

"And I'm sorry. I realize that you should be able to make your own decisions. I just wanted you to be sure about what we were getting into."

"We were getting into something."

"Well I don't normally just go around kissing guys."

Luke grinned and fisted his hands in Reid's tuxedo and pulled him close.

Luke kissed Reid then whose hands immediately tangled in Luke's hair.

They kissed for a few minutes when Reid broke for air.

"I need to get back to my family. Have fun with Katie."

"You too. Can I see you later?"

"Sure."

Reid kissed him one last time and was gone.

Luke fixed his hair in the window of one of the shops and went to find Katie.

Katie took one look at him and burst into a grin.

"I'm glad to see you two made up."

"What are you talking about?"

"I can totally tell when people just made out. It's a gift I had. Plus you smell like Reid."

Luke blushed crimson and dragged her out of the store.

A few days later, Luke was sitting in his bedroom, when he heard Reid entering his room.

"It's a good thing my room is on the back of the house. People would think you were a criminal."

"I am a criminal. I steal hearts."

Luke just laughed at that.

"I'm serious. Do you realize how many women want me? They are convinced they can convert back to their side. You know what it's like."

"No, actually I don't. No one besides you and Katie knows that I'm gay."

"And Katie figured it out. I just verified it for her."

"I haven't told anyone else, not even my best friends or my parents."

"Are you ashamed of it?"

"No, I'm just terrified of somehow losing respect in their eyes or them thinking of my differently."  
"Unfortunately, Luke that will happen. There are going to be people who end up hating you and treating you badly, but those are the people you don't want to hang out with anyways. It's better to find out now who your true friends are."

"I guess."

"Listen, Luke. I won't pressure you to come out until you are ready. I of all people know how deeply personal that process is. I will be here for you, for whatever you need."

"Thanks, Reid."

Luke stood up and stared out the window.

Reid walked up to him and pulled him into an embrace.

Luke reached up and caressed his face,

"Who knew you were such a great guy?"

"I know, don't tell anyone, I need to keep my reputation intact."

Luke laughed as Reid just grinned into his hair.

Things went well until May.

Luke was still hesitant to come out to his parents, and Reid was getting impatient.

"Luke, I'm going to be leaving for school in August. I mean, we can't keep this a secret forever."

"I know, Reid. Just give me time."

Two days later, Reid bought tickets to the senior prom and asked Luke to be his date.

Luke said no.

He just wasn't ready for a public relationship with Reid.

Reid was devastated.

A week before the prom, Reid told Luke, either be in a relationship with him in open, or break up with him.

So Luke, sat down with his parents, and finally told Lily and Holden. Lily had suspected since he was in middle school, and Holden told him whatever he wanted was okay with him, because he loved him.

Luke showed up the night of the prom in a tuxedo and with a boutonniere.

He shocked Reid who wasn't dressed.

Reid quickly dressed in his tuxedo and they went to the prom together.

Most of his friends were awesome and told him they were glad he was finally be honest about who he was.

He and Reid shared their first dance together and they left early.

They went back to Reid's house.

They entered through his bedroom window.

Luke saw an envelope sitting on his desk and handed it to Reid.

Reid's hand started shaking.

"Can you read it for me, Luke?"  
"Sure."

Luke opened the envelope.

"Congratulations, Mr. Oliver on your acceptance to the University of Vermont…"

Reid's face immediately relaxed and he sighed.

"I got into my dream school."

"It's your dream school over Harvard and Yale?"

"Well for undergraduate school it is. Plus, Vermont is one of the few states that has legalized gay marriage. I mean it's a good state to study in and maybe focus on the future."

"You think about the future?"

"All the time."

"Am I part of that future?"

"You're the most important part."

Luke sighed dreamily and kissed his boyfriend.

Reid grabbed him and pulled him closer.

He loosened Luke's tie and pulled it off.

He stared into Luke's eyes and then gently kissed him.

Luke sat up and pulled Reid up with him.

He pulled off his tie and pushed his jacket off.

"Luke, we don't have to do this if you aren't ready."

"I'm ready. I've never been more ready."

"Reid just groaned into his ear and then made quick work of Luke's clothing.

Luke looked up uncertainly at Reid.

"Reid, I've never…"

"It's okay, Luke. I know. I don't care."

Reid kissed down Luke's chest. He licked around one nipple, while gently thumbing over the other one.

Luke could get himself getting hard.

Then Reid was licking farther and farther down.

Then Reid pulled Luke's leaking cock out of his boxers.

He took it in both hands and started rubbing up down spreading the precum down the shaft.

Luke was arching into Reid's hands and whining.

"Reid…"

Reid just bent his down and blew softly and warmly on the head.

Luke fisted his hands in the sheets.

Then Reid was taking Luke's engorged penis in his mouth.

Luke had never felt anything like it in his entire life.

He tried telling Reid how good it felt, but no words came.

Just low guttural throat noises.

Then Reid was cupping and massaging his testicles and Luke's hands went to Reid's head.

He started moving faster and faster.

Reid didn't complain just adjusted to the pace.

Luke couldn't hold on much longer and when Reid licked up the underside and across the slit at the tip of his cock, he came moaning Reid's name.

Luke lay there trembling and felt the cool air as Reid came off his sensitive penis.

Reid still had his jacket on with his shirt unbuttoned.

Luke sat up and pulled Reid closer to him.

He removed the rest of Reid's clothing and pulled Reid close to him on the bed.

Reid, who was also now naked, curled himself around Luke.

Luke still spent from the mind-blowing orgasm, just rubbed his hands up Reid's arms.

Finally he turned into Reid's embrace and started kissing Reid.

Reid sighed and pulled Luke closer.

Luke reached down and grabbed Reid's penis.

Reid bit back groan as Luke started pumping him softly and slowly.

Reid couldn't help but buck into Luke's hands.

Luke, who had never done anything like this before, just followed what he had always done to himself and seen on internet porn.

He started rotating his wrist and increased the pace.

"Fuck, Luke."

Reid's head was tossed back with his eyes closed and his hands fisted in the sheets.

Then Luke was licking up the shaft, around the tip, and back down the other side.

Reid was trembling.

"Fuck, Luke, don't stop."

Reid returned the favor and gently massaged Reid's ball sack.

"I'm gonna come, Luke."

Luke didn't stop though and swallowed as much as he could. He had never tasted anything like it before and was surprised to find out he didn't hate it.

After Reid recovered he pulled Luke into his embrace,

"Damn, Luke. How did you learn to do that?"

"Truthfully? Internet porn."  
Reid just grinned,

"Well I'm glad, because damn that was unbelievable."

They fell asleep in each other's arms spent and satiated.

A few hours later Luke awoke to feel something hard pressed against his ass.

He could feel Reid holding him close. He grinned and turned around.

Reid was still sleeping, but Luke reached down and started to work on Reid's penis.

Reid grunted in his sleep and Luke could hear his breathing increase and could feel him getting harder.

Finally Reid opened one eye and smiled.

"There is nothing better than waking up to a hand job."

Reid finally told Luke to stop if he wanted it to last.

Luke lay back on the bed,

"Will you make love to me, Reid? I want to feel you inside of me."

"Are you sure, Luke?"

"Yes. I have never wanted anything more in my life."

Reid reached into his wallet long abandoned on his night stand.

He grabbed a condom and rolled it on over himself.

He reached into the drawer and brought out some KY Jelly.

He slid it over his stiff cock and then poured some in his hands.

"You're gonna feel some pressure and some burning, but I promise it will eventually get better."

"I trust you, Reid."

Luke spread his legs without asking, and Reid reached down and inserted one finger into his tight hole.

Luke groaned and arched his back.

Reid was still until Luke asked for more. Finally Reid had three fingers inserted, and he started to move them in and out. With each brush of the knuckles of his prostrate, Luke cried out.

Finally, Reid withdrew his fingers and Luke could feel his hard tip pressing at his entrance.

Reid told him to relax as much as possible.

Luke was trembling as Reid pushed slowly in and stopped a few times until Luke was able to accept more.

Finally Reid was all the way in and Luke gasped at the feeling.

He had his hands on Luke's forearms that were holding himself up.

He could see sweat on Reid's brow and upper lip and could see his muscles straining.

He finally was able to whisper, "It's okay, Reid. I'm ready."

Reid moved then in tortuously slow. He'd completely remove himself and then slide back in slowly.

Luke was shaking then with the feeling of Reid's cock brushing over his walls and hitting his prostate.

Finally Reid picked up Luke's legs and placed them on his shoulders.

His hands went to Luke's hips and started pounding.

The only sounds heard was the slapping of Reid smacking into Luke over and over.

Luke moved one leg down around Reid's back and arched upward to meet each thrust.

He could feel the familiar tightening in his abdomen and knew he was close.

Then Reid moved his right hand to grasp Luke's cock and started stroking it in time with the motion and rhythm of his hips.

Then Reid leaned down and kissed him.

Luke came screaming into Reid's mouth.

Reid followed behind shortly after,

"I love you, Luke."

Luke who was still in the aftershock of sex, thought he misheard him.

Then Reid was pulling out of him slowly, tying off the condom and throwing it in the wastebasket.

He was back in bed then holding Luke.

"Did you just say you loved me?"

"Maybe."

"I'm so in love with you, Reid."

Luke could feel Reid relax into him and bring him tighter.

Reid pressed a kiss against Luke's shoulder.

They fell asleep then, both happier than they had ever been.

Suddenly the sound of an alarm clock was buzzing and Reid awoke with a start, why in the hell had he dreamt about that night? He was sweating and shaking and he was harder than he had been in years just thinking about how great sex with Luke had been. He had the uncontrollable urge to call Luke. He sighed and laid back down. That part of his life was long over, and he tried to convince himself he was glad it was.

Across town, Luke was just awaking from a similar dream. He got up and splashed water on his face. Once again his subconscious had betrayed him. He got up and went back to the living room.

He turned his laptop on and went back to working, trying to get that memory off his mind.


	9. Chapter 9

Luke pushed the refrigerator closed with his foot.

He had the eggs, bacon, and bread in his hands.

He heard the door knock and stumbled to the kitchen counter to put the items down.

Faith bounded out of her room in sweat pants and tank top.

"I'll get it, brother."

Luke figured she had invited a friend over and turned back to the counter to make breakfast.

"Well, hello. Come on in."

"Do you always invite random strangers inside?"

"I know who you are, Reid."

Luke nearly broke the egg with his bare hand when he heard who it was.

If he wasn't so hungry and if the bacon wasn't already sizzling in the pan, he would have tried to make an exit out of one of the windows.

He really did not want to see Reid today.

"How do you know who I am?"

"Wow, you really have no idea who I am?"

"No, should I?"

"I guess you probably wouldn't, but I'm Luke's little sister, Faith."  
"Wow."

"Is that a good wow or a bad wow?"

"A shocked wow. The last time I saw you, you were 9 years old."

"Yeah, I guess I grew up."  
"I'll say. You look like younger version of your mother."

"I heard that a lot. There is nothing more flattering than being told, you look exactly like your mother, who is also at least 20 years older than you."

"Your mom still looks young, so I'd take that as a compliment."  
"Thanks, Reid! So, Luke is making breakfast, you should totally stay."

Luke finally spoke up, without turning around,

"I'm sure he is busy, saving lives this morning, Faith."  
"Actually, today is my day off. So I'd love to stay for breakfast."

"Of course you would."

Luke turned the stovetop down and transferred the bacon to a plate.

Then he served up the scrambled eggs with cheese, onions, and peppers.

Faith came over and buttered the toast, and within a few minutes they were all sitting down to a homemade breakfast.

Luke took a drink of his orange juice just as Reid said,

"Damn, Luke. I didn't know you could cook."

The way in which he said it, sounded so orgasmic, like pure heaven, and Luke choked on his juice.

Faith reached out and slapped him on the back and told him to breathe.

Reid looked up concerned, but Luke recovered quickly.

Finally Faith stood up, put her dishes in the sink and told them she was headed to the park to take pictures.

Luke told her about a festival going on there later in the afternoon and offered to pay her for some shots for the magazine.

Faith grinned and kissed her brother on the cheek.

"I'll take you up on that. I miss being on assignment."

"I know you do."

Faith then left to get changed.

"So, to what do we owe this pleasure of your visit, Reid?"

"Oh, I ran into Chris in the lobby this morning, when I was checking on a patient, and he said he had the toxicology report on Dr. Rosenthal and was going to call Amber to come and get it. I volunteered to drop it off at your place since it was on the way to Katie's."

"Oh, great. Did you look at it?"  
"Of course I did. Turns out, Dr. Rosenthal also had hemlock in his system. Of course, he didn't eat a salad, so we have no idea how it got there, but he was definitely poisoned."

"So I guess that means we have to somehow get access to the evidence that was found in his office and retest them."

"And how do you propose doing that?"

"Well, we can't just walk in and ask Jack and Margo for them."

"You could also just sneak in there and borrow them."

"Yeah, that'll work. There is no way in hell that I would be able to do that."

"You could if you say had someone helping you."

"And who would I get that would be willing to possibly get arrested and thrown in jail?"

"Me."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. I want to know who is killing the surgeons in my hospital. There is a reason these men were killed and honestly, it's been sort of fun playing detective."

"Amber says there is a cop she flirted with last time to get the evidence. We could just ask her to do it."

Luke texted Amber.

Hey, we got the tox report on the other dr; we need access to evidence again.

I'll see what I can do

Luke put the phone back on the table.

Reid was just finishing his sixth piece of bacon.

"Let me know when you get it. Thanks for breakfast. I'm still shocked you can cook."

"Yeah, well it's one of my hidden talents."

Reid grabbed his jacket and turned to leave,

"See you later, Luke."

The way Reid said his name caused Luke to shiver.

Reid was gone, and Luke sat at the table staring at Reid's empty plate.

It took him back to high school again.

A week after prom, Luke and Reid made plans to go to Chicago for a special dinner. It would be their first official public date, and Reid wanted it to be special.

There was the problem of neither set of parents knowing their sons were dating. Lily and Holden knew that Luke went to the prom with Reid, but they figured it was just because Reid needed a date. They had no idea how far their relationship had progressed or even that Luke and Reid were on speaking terms with each other.

So Luke told his parents he was going to Chicago with Casey and Will for a baseball game, and Reid told his parents he was going check out the University of Chicago, and his parents were so thrilled he was considering a college close to home they gave him $200 to do some exploring while he was there.

Reid even got his parents to get him a hotel room and told them his friend Derek was going too, so they added another guest to it.

Reid had two train tickets from Oakdale to Chicago.

They left at five o'clock in the evening. Katie was the only one to see them off. She wished them luck.

They arrived to the hotel put their bags in the room and got dressed up.

As the stepped into Morton's Steakhouse, Luke had butterflies in his stomach.

Reid squeezed his hand and led him into the restaurant.

Reid gave them his name and they were led to a quiet dark table near the back.

Luke was surprised at how fast they were seated, considering how busy it was on a Friday evening.

Reid noticed his reaction and laughed,

"I made reservations as soon as you agreed to come on this weekend trip."

Luke flashed Reid his brightest smile.

They ate their prime rib and baked potatoes, when Reid suggested going someplace else for desert.

Luke thought he was making a euphemism and joking around, but Reid quickly corrected him.

"I do not joke around about food, Luke."

They headed down the street. Reid maneuvered them around Chicago on the El Train, and they found themselves in front of a bakery and coffee shop called caffe de Luca. Reid ordered tiramisu for them and they enjoyed coffee and desert outside. It was a bit chilly, but Reid offered Luke his jacket and they sat close together.

As they ate, Reid told Luke all of his plans for school that fall. He wanted to get an apartment instead of a dorm, so that when Luke visited they would have privacy, plus he needed extra room for his books. He also was planning on joining the rowing team, since he was in a local one in Oakdale. Luke listened to all his plans and his heart ached knowing that Reid would be halfway across the country and him visiting would be few and far between.

That night back at the hotel room, Luke and Reid made love slowly. With every deep and slow movement of Reid inside him, Luke felt his heart expanding. He was so in love with Reid and he couldn't imagine them not being together every day.

That night silent tears fell down his cheeks as he realized what being separated for three years would do to him and Reid.

The next morning, Reid took him back to Caffe de Luca for breakfast. As Luke waited for his omelet to arrive he fiddled nervously with his napkin.

Finally, Reid looked up from the paper.

"What's wrong, Luke?"

"I think we should break up."

Reid dropped the paper then and his eyes immediately lost their brilliance.

"What?"

"I think we know that when you go to school we won't last. I'll be able to visit maybe once every few months, granted I can convince my parents to let me go to Vermont. Then I'll run out of excuses why I need to go to Vermont, and I'll stop visiting. Then I'll visit to surprise you and I'll knock on the door. I'll hear weird movement behind it, so I open it to see you fucking someone from the rowing team and my heart will be broken, and you'll try to explain it isn't what it looked like, but we both know better. Then you'll say how sorry you are and we'll pretend like we're going to remain friends, and I'll go home and try to fill the void by fucking random guys, until I get so numb and so desensitized to it, that sex loses all meaning, and it's no longer about sharing it with someone I love, but just to avoid feeling pain."

Reid let out a strangled gasp,

"And how do you know this is going to happen?"

"It inevitably happens, Reid. People grow apart, they cheat on each other, and true love doesn't last."

"So, in other words, I'll grow apart from you, I'll cheat, and break your heart?"

"It will just inevitably happen, Reid. It's not a slight against you."

"The hell it's not, Luke. I love you, I want us to be together, but clearly, you don't want that. So fine. I'm going to Vermont, you won't visit me, and I'm free to fuck whoever I want?"

"I guess…"

Luke was trying to hold back the tears as he realized what he just said and done.

Reid stood up, put money on the table and left the restaurant.

Luke sat in silence and watched Reid leave.

He cried the entire way back to the hotel. He knew he must look like an idiot, but he didn't care.

When he got back to the hotel, Reid was still there packing.

"Reid."

"What, Luke?"  
"I'm sorry."

Reid turned then and grabbed Luke almost violently.

He hugged him tightly,

"Don't be sorry for feeling what you feel, Luke."

"No, I am sorry. I love you and I do want us to work. I'm just terrified that what my parents are going through will happen to us."

"No, it won't. I won't let it."

"You can't guarantee that, Reid."

"I can guarantee that I won't leave you. Even when we go through hard times, I'll choose you."

Luke cried then, really cried, and Reid just held him until Luke fell asleep.

When he woke up it was starting to get dark outside.

Reid was sitting in the chair watching a documentary on television.

When he saw Luke was awake he went over to the bed.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah."

"I'm glad."

He ordered room service.

When the food arrived, they ate it in bed.

Finally full, Reid put the food away and climbed back on the bed.

"Thank you, Reid."

"For what?"

"For being such a great boyfriend."

Luke moved to kiss Reid then.

He wanted to show his boyfriend just how much he appreciated him.

Reid relaxed into the bed then.

He was wearing only his boxers.

Luke moved slowly down his body, running his tongue and lips down every exposed inch of flesh.

Reid grabbed the remote and turned the television off.

The air conditioning was off and the room was heavy with heat.

Luke got all the way to the waistband of Reid's boxers then.

He could see how hard Reid was and how it was pressing against the flimsy cotton begging to be released.

He bent down and ran his lips along the length, still enclosed in the fabric.

Reid was groaning then.

Then Luke used this thumbs to pull the fabric down just low enough to let the tip of Reid's cock out just a bit.

Luke took his tongue and slid it across his slit, around the head, and back again.

Then he slowly moved the boxers lower and lower, covering each inch of Reid's cock with his tongue.

Reid was shaking then.

"Luke…"

Luke could see the fluttering behind Reid's eyelids, and knew he was close.

Then Luke had the boxers down all the way and had Reid in all the way to the back of his throat.

Luke had never really had a gag reflex, so he knew he would be able to do it with no problems.

Suddenly without warning, he stuck a finger in Reid's ass, and Reid was shouting Luke's name and streaming down the back of his throat.

Luke pulled back then and a soft pop was heard.

Reid had an arm flung over his face, and one dramatically placed over his heart.

"Holy fucking shit, Luke."

Luke just grinned and slid up Reid's body.

"What?"

"Where the fuck did you learn that?"

"Nowhere. I just thought it up."  
Reid moved his hand then and stared at Luke in awe.

"Okay, so you knew I wasn't a virgin when we got together, but hands down you are the best I've ever had."

"Well, I'd say the same about you, but you're the only I've ever had."

"I'm the best, trust me."

"Okay."

Reid pulled him up even farther and kissed him. It was sloppy and rough and wet, and Luke could feel himself getting even harder.

Reid reached down,

"I love how your body reacts to me."

"So do I."  
"Fuck me, Luke."

"What?"  
"I want to feel you inside me."

"I've never done anything like…"

"I know, but trust me you'll be great."

Reid pulled Luke up then to a kneeling position.

He pulled down Luke's boxer briefs and grabbed his penis.

He reached down and gently licked. Luke's hands immediately fisted in Reid's hair and pulled tight.

Reid got him closer and closer, and just when he felt the familiar tightening he stopped.

He pulled away, and when Luke grunted his disapproval, he kissed him gently.

Reid grabbed a condom and some lube from his bag.

He slid the condom over Luke and gently rubbed some lube on.

Then he pressed the bottle into his hand and flipped over.

Luke had never seen anything like it before.

Reid was presenting himself.

Luke put the bottle on the bed and tried something he'd only ever seen on porn.

He grabbed Reid's hips and pulled him closer.

He bent down and gently licked around Reid's ass.

"Holy fuck, Luke."

Then his tongue was probing and lapping more and more.

By now Reid was shaking. His hand went to his cock, but Luke slapped it away.

"Not yet, Reid."

Luke finally flipped open the bottle and poured some into his hand.

He inserted two fingers into Reid's already wet opening and Reid pushed back trying to take more, then Luke added a third and fourth.

He started moving them in and out. Reid dropped on his elbows, and when Luke added twisting motions of his fingers and wrist, Reid started biting into a pillow to keep from screaming.

Finally, Luke removed his fingers. He was so hard he thought he might break.

He pressed himself to Reid's opening now and pushed in.

Without hesitation Reid's hand came back and pulled Luke's hip.

"Fuck me, you dirty whore."

Luke couldn't believe how slutty and dirty Reid was being, but somehow it got him harder and more excited.

"You like this, don't you, you dirty bitch?"

Luke decided why not have fun with it?

"Yes…"

Reid was moving back then trying to get more of Luke inside him, but Luke stilled his hips.

He slowly and tortuously moved in.

"Fuck you, Luke. Just slam into me."

Luke just moved slower and slower until Reid was whimpering and nearly begging.

Then without warning Luke pulled out and slammed all the way in.

"Yes! Fuck me like the bitch that I am."

Luke picked up one hand and brought it down on Reid's ass.

"Oh fuck yes, spank me."

Luke kept doing it, until he saw Reid's ass welted and red.

He started to slow down and adjust himself for slower and deeper thrusts.

With each thrust, Reid's ass clamped down on him, as if to keep him in place.

Luke's hand went to Reid's hair and he pulled back.

Reid groaned then and he arched his back.

Luke was so close, but he wanted his first time in Reid to be special.

He pulled out,

"No…"

Reid's voice was almost a wail.

But Luke flipped him over and reentered.

He put one of Reid's legs on his shoulders, and the other propped on the bed.

Then he started moving in again, this time with deep thrusts.

Reid had his eyes open, and Luke had never seen them that deep blue before.

It was like they were oceans and he was drowning in them.

They kept the eye connection until Reid flung his head back and asked for more.

Luke grabbed Reid's hips and held him up. He was completely in then.

Then Luke was moving his hips and he could tell when he hit Reid's prostate.

He let out what sounded like a growl and Reid's fingers were digging into Luke's arms.

Luke hit the spot over and over until Reid was chanting his name,

"Luke, Luke, LUUUUUUKKKE."

Then Luke reached down and grabbed Reid's cock which was sticking straight up. He only pumped three times and Reid was coating his hand, chest, and face with his come. Some landed on his lips, which he licked off.

Seeing Reid licking his own come off his lips, and feeling Reid suddenly clamp his ass around his cock, sent him over the edge.

He saw stars when he finally came exploding into Reid. He had never come so hard in his entire life.

He bonelessly collapsed on top of Reid. His mouth in the crook of his neck.

Reid's arms came around him and he rolled him until he was lying in Reid's arms with his head on the pillow.

He could barely open his eyes.

He tried to say something but it only came out

"I lmuf you, eid"

He could feel Reid's lips move into a smile.

"I love you too, Luke."

Within a few seconds he was asleep.

He didn't know how long he slept when he heard pounding on the hotel room door.

Reid groaned and turned over.

Luke just rolled his eyes and pulled his boxers back on.

Just as he was about to the door he heard,

"Luciano Eduard Grimaldi Snyder, answer this door this instant."

Luke's heart dropped.

He looked back to see Reid sit straight up in terror.

The door was opened then and the hotel manager was standing in the door with a keycard.

Lily stormed into the room and stopped abruptly when she saw the state of dress of both boys.

"Luke, get dressed and wait outside for me."

"No, I'm not leaving him."

"Do you realize what you two have done?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Reid's parents are here and they are not happy."

"Reid is 18 why do they care?"

"Because, Reid is gay."

"So?"

"Not everyone is as accepting as your father and I, Luke."

Reid was desperately trying to put his clothes on, but he wasn't fast enough.

His mother was standing in the door.

"Reid Timothy Oliver, get your stuff right now and get in the car."

She shot a glare at Lily and Luke.

"Mrs. Oliver it's not Reid's fault."  
"I don't want to hear anything from you, Mr. Snyder. You are the reason my son is like this."

Lily stunned at the hatred and vitriol in her voice turned to face her.

"My son is the not reason your son is gay, Emily."

"He is the one who turned him completely."

"Do you realize how unbelievably stupid you sound right now? Your son was always gay; Luke didn't seduce him, take his innocence, or offend his finer sensibilities. They are two teenage gay men who happened to start a relationship."

"Stay out of this, Lily. You of all people have no business talking about relationships, seeing as you cheated on Luke's real father with his stepfather and then when you had problems cheated on his stepfather with his real father."

"How dare you?"

Luke's face went white then and he collapsed.

When he came to he was sitting in his mother's car with his bags in the back seat.

"Where's Reid?"

"He's on his way home with his mother."

"How did you figure out where we were?"  
"We ran into each other at a benefit. They were asking how our kids were and we said that you were in Chicago for a weekend with Casey and Will, and they said Reid was there too for a weekend with his friend Derek. Then we saw Derek come in with his girlfriend and knew instantly it was a lie. It wasn't hard to get the information of the hotel as Reid's parents paid for it, and since you are a minor, I was able to get into the room."

"Why couldn't you have just left me alone?"

"Because I wasn't going to let Reid's parents show up and attack you."

"Well now you know."  
"I do, and honey, you could've told me you know."

"How could I? It started when you and dad were fighting every night. I spent nearly every night for five months at his house, just so I could get sleep and maintain my grades."

Lily winced then.

"I'm sorry, Luke. I didn't want you to find out like this."

"So you really saw Damian?"

"Yes. He came back a few months ago."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Damian is no good for you."  
"Really, but he's okay for you to fuck?"

"Luke!"

"What? You cheated on my dad with my other dad. I mean, really mom, I'm supposed to pretend like it's okay and none of that happened?"

Luke sat in stony silence the rest of the way home.

They passed the Oliver house and could see they were already home.

Luke went upstairs and threw his bags on the bed.

He couldn't believe his parents were getting divorced. His heart and head hurt and all he wanted was to see his boyfriend.

Luke snapped out of the memory when he heard a knock at his door again.

He opened it to see Amber standing there, pale.

"Pete's missing. I went to the police station to get his help again and Jack said that Pete missed his past two shifts. They're sending a patrol car to his apartment, but I don't have a good feeling about this, Luke."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Luke ushered Amber inside.

"Okay slow down. What do you mean Pete is missing?"

"When I went to the police station to get his help with the evidence again, Jack said he hadn't been to work in two days. It wasn't like him, so Margo sent a patrol car over there, and he wasn't there."

"Maybe he was just out?"

"His cell phone was there, his car keys, and wallet."

"Yeah, that's weird. "

"I don't have a good feeling, Amber."

"We don't know anything yet. Let's just let Jack and Margo investigate. "

"I have to do something. I'm going over to the crime scene. Maybe I can help them. How are we going to get the evidence for Dr. Rosenthal?"

"I'll work on it, Amber. Just promise me you'll be careful."

"You too, Luke."

Luke hugged Amber and she left.

Luke opened his phone.

Is your offer for help still open?

depends. What do you need?

we need to break into the OPD to get the evidence.

And why do you need me?

As a distraction.

I'll meet you there in 20.

No, we'll have to wait until tonight. Meet me at my apartment.

That sounds incredibly dirty.

Whatever.

I have a better idea. You come here. I'm not your slave

What the fuck ever. I'll be there in ten.

Luke knocked on the door.

"Luke! Oh my gosh! How are you?"

Katie dragged Luke inside and gave him a giant hug.

"I'm great. "

"Twice in a matter of days? I feel so lucky!"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I've been a crappy friend lately."

"I would never imply that Luke."

Katie just smiled at him and ushered him in.

"Reid is in the back watching cartoons with Madeline and Jacob."

"Reid is watching cartoons?"

"Yep, Jacob insisted and Reid couldn't resist his puppy dog eyes and pout. Seems to be guys with deep chocolate eyes is his weakness."

Katie winked at him then and went into the kitchen before Luke could respond to her .

Luke could hear faint noise toward the back of the condo. He follows his hears until he is standing in the family room.

Reid is sprawled out across the couch, fast asleep with Madeline curled into his chest, and Jacob enthralled in the cartoon.

Luke cleared his throat, and Reid jolted awake.

He got up and put Madeline in her swing and started it.

"Hey, Luke."

"Hey. I didn't know you were good with kids."

"Well, I've had enough kid patients over the years to have to learn."

"I'm impressed."

"So, you need my help in causing a distraction so you can sneak in to steal evidence?"

"Yes."

"And you do realize what could happen if we get caught?"

"Yes."

"So, basically you are okay with sending me to jail."

"Hey, I would be in that cell right along with you."

Reid just looked at him with his arms folded.

"Fine."

"So you'll do it?"  
"Yeah. What time are you thinking?"

"How about nine?"  
"I'll only do it if you take me out for dinner first."  
"You want me to take you out on a date?"

"Dinner, Luke. Food. I mean if you are going to be putting my perfect record in danger, then I expect some sort of compensation."

"Fine. How about Al's?"

"No. I want Lobster and Steak. We're going to the Lakeview."

"God, you are so frustrating."

"Do you want my help or not?"

"Fine. Meet me at the Lakeview at seven."

"You're not even going to pick me up?"

"You are the one who said it wasn't a date!"

"It's not, but the least you could've done was offer, Luke. I mean, really."

Luke just rolled his eyes and headed toward the front door.

Katie was sitting at the table working on a scrapbook,

"Luke, wait a minute."

Luke stopped.

"Hey Reid come here for a minute."

Reid walked out into the kitchen.

"Can you watch the kids for a few hours, while I run some errands?"

"I guess…"

"Great. Hey, Luke, do you want to take your best girlfriend out for lunch?"

"I'd love to, Katie."

"Having lunch with Luke and leaving me alone with your kids, is your idea of errands?"

"No, I do have to go to the post office, but Luke and I haven't talked in a while, and I want to catch up."

"Katie, I've been out of the state for 16 years, and you don't want to catch up with me?"

"Reid, we talk every day."

"Whatever."

Luke just grinned and waved at Reid who scowled at him.

Katie and Luke left then.

As they slid into their booths at Al's, Katie grinned at Luke.

"What is with the giant Cheshire cat grin?"

"Nothing. I just miss seeing you two like that."

"Fighting?"

"No, being yourselves."

"Whatever, Katie."

"I'm being serious, Luke. I remember when you dated in high school. Your constant bantering and sarcasm was cute. Everyone knew how much you two really loved each other and even when you tried to mask it with pretending to hate one another, you really didn't."

"Well, I can assure you the hatred is real this time."

"No it's not. You and Reid are both horrible liars. Even if you want to believe that, you and Reid both have underlying feelings of love and affection there."

"Did you seriously ask me to take you to lunch just so you could tell me how much I still love Reid?"

"No. But I couldn't pass the opportunity up. You do love him, even if you refuse to acknowledge what your heart is saying. I want both of you to be happy. You are my two best friends, and I hate seeing friends unhappy. I mean take Henry for instance, he and I became very close after Reid moved away, and he ended up married to a woman. Everyone in this town knows he's gay, he knows he is gay, but he refuses to accept it."

"Why do you think that is?"

"I think you know why. You remember Reid's parents? Henry's is ten times worse. His father is a Baptist minister."

"So, he's trapped in a loveless marriage?"

"He married one of his best friends who was afraid she'd never get married. It's convenience."

"That is truly the worst thing I've ever heard."

"Yes, it's bad. But you want to know what is worse? Having the opportunity to be with the person you love and not taking it because you are stubborn and stupid."

"Katie, come one. It's not that simple."

"Yes, it is that simple. You made a mistake, and both you and Reid have suffered for it for years. Reid never got over you, Luke."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, he never dated again. He had a few flings here and there, but he never gave his heart to anyone else."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want you to understand."

"Understand what?"

"Understand that he is still in love with you after 16 years."

"And how will he feel when he realizes you told me?"

"I hope by the time that comes, you will stop lying to yourself and you'll man up and realize you love him to and then you'll go find him and make him yours again."  
Luke sighed and threw his napkin in his plate.

"Love isn't always enough."  
"You're right, but what you two had was more than love. You were friends first, you completed each other, you made him better, he made you stronger. Do you realize how many people were jealous of you two?"

"It's in the past, Katie. Some things are meant to remain there."

"And some things are meant to be resolved."

"Can we not talk about this anymore?"

"Luke, if you let him move on with someone else, I will never forgive you."

"Katie…"

"I'm serious."

With that Katie stood up kissed Luke on the cheek,

"I hope you make the right decision."

Luke watched helplessly as Katie disappeared through the door.

Suddenly his cell phone was buzzing,

They found Pete's body on the roof of the newspaper.

Luke paid for the bill and left in a hurry.

He arrived back to the newspaper to see Margo and Jack on the roof.

He arrived and was waved through.

Amber was shaking and crying in the corner.

"Amber, when did they find him?"

"Just a few minutes ago."

"WOAK happened to fly over during one of their traffic reports, and the pilot saw the body. He called it in."

"I came as soon as I heard it on the police scanner."

"You have a police scanner?"

"What good reporter doesn't?"

Luke just shook his head.

"Is everyone else still inside?"  
"Yes. We have everyone working double time to get the paper finished early, in case we're told to leave."

"Okay. I'll call Emily and see if we can perhaps set up a temporary base until the investigation is done."

Luke stepped into a corner and called Emily.

Ten minutes later he was called over by Jack and Margo. He spent the next few hours making sure all the employees were interviewed and gathering up all the evidence he needed for the case. He knew he wouldn't be back in the newspaper for quite some time.

Finally at six, he left Emily in charge of overseeing the transfer of the equipment to a warehouse, so they could set up a new base of operations, and he headed home.

He headed to his apartment. He took a shower and got dressed.

Finally around seven he headed to the Lakeview.

He waited at the bar with a root beer.

Twenty minutes later, Reid stepped in.

"You tell me seven, and then proceed to be a half hour late?"

"I got a phone call from Chris Hughes. He said they had another victim of hemlock poisoning."

"Pete was poisoned by hemlock?"  
"Is that who Mr. Hennings is?"

"Yes. Pete Hennings. Amber used him to get the evidence for Dr. Murdoch."

"Looks like, she'll be needing to get evidence on him now."

"So clearly, someone was trying to send us a message. The killer knows that Amber got help from Pete, and killed him and threw him on the roof of the newspaper."

"Who besides you and I knew about Amber getting his help?"

"I honestly don't know."

Their food finally arrived and both were silent as they ate.

Luke pulled out the case file from his briefcase and set it on the table.

"So we know for sure that the only people that know we are working on this is You, Me, Chris, Amber, Alison, and Casey. "

"So you and I are the only ones to know that all three died of hemlock poisoning. Amber knew about Dr. Murdoch and Rosenthal and got the evidence for Dr. Murdoch proving how he ingested the hemlock. Casey is an orderly and claims he saw a strange person coming out of Dr. Rosenthal's office about a half hour before he died, which could be Amaria Middling. Alison said she was on Dr. Murdoch's rotation the night he died. "

"This is really making no sense. There has to be an outside person at work here."

They tried to make connections for another hour, until the realized they weren't getting anywhere.

"We need that evidence."

Reid looked at his watch,

"It's about nine right now."

"Alright, let's go."

Fifteen minutes later they were at the evidence locker.

As they were walking in, Reid pointed out an officer that was leaning against the wall taking a smoke break.

"He's gay."

"How do you know?"  
"How do you not?"  
Reid walked over to the officer and started flirting with him.

The man seemed into it and barely noticed Luke who snuck by him.

The officer in the cage was dead asleep.

So Luke reached his hand in the window and pressed the button.

The loud buzzing reverberated in the steel warehouse.

He thought for sure the man would wake up, but he didn't.

He managed to sneak in and find the box relatively easily as they were put in by date.

He found the box for Dr. Rosenthal's office and saw tea grounds in a bag.

He figured that was what he was looking for and grabbed them.

He wasn't sure if any evidence of Pete's house would be processed yet, but he decided to stop and see.

To his unbelief there was a box labeled with his name on it.

When he opened the box he saw another bag of tea grounds.

It could not be a coincidence.

So Luke grabbed the bag and shut the box. He shoved the bags into his pockets.

Just as he was about to head out he saw the other man had awoken.

The door was slightly open still, but if he tried to go through it, it would most likely make a noise and alert the officer to his presence.

So he texted Reid.

I'm stuck in here.

Give me a minute.

Five minutes later the other officer was coming in off his break and the one inside the room was leaving.

Reid came in behind him and stopped him.

Luke could see Reid spin the officer around and start kissing him.

Luke's heart caught in his chest and he felt like someone had just punched him.

He took the opportunity though and suck out past Reid with his tongue down the officer's throat.

When Reid didn't join him a few minute later he finally texted him.

You can quit shoving your tongue down his throat now. I'm outside.

A few minutes later Reid left with his hair tousled, lips swollen, and shirt messed up.

"You seriously had to make out with him?"

"Hey, you needed a distraction."

"I was hoping you'd be a rude jerk, not play tonsil hockey with him."

"We got results didn't we?"

"I would say. Did you at least offer to take him to dinner and relieve that erection you gave him?"

"Is somebody jealous I was making out with someone other than him?"

"Get over yourself Reid. It was disgusting. Anyone would be offended by that show."

"Whatever you say."  
Reid was still grinning at him.

"You think this is funny don't you?"

"What? The fact that I get to make out with a hot guy in a uniform and that it pissed you off? Yep, I find it hilarious."

"You are such an ass."

Luke was fed up. He got in his car and sped away, leaving Reid alone without a ride.

He knew it wouldn't be long before he'd get a text from Reid.

He was right. Not even a minute later his phone buzzed.

You're going to pay for this, Luke.

What he didn't realize was that the text wasn't from Reid at all.


	11. Chapter 11

Luke awoke with a start. His phone was buzzing yet again.

He glanced at the clock to see numbers blaring 4:07 a.m.

Who in the hell would be texting him at this time of night?

He got up, pulled a t-shirt on, and walked out of his bedroom.

To his surprise, Faith was sitting on the couch, watching a show.

"Couldn't sleep?"

"Nope. You?"

"Somebody texted me and woke me up."

"Someone texted you at 4 a.m.?

"Apparently, I didn't look at it though."

"You want to join me on the couch for ice cream and Breakfast at Tiffany's?"

"Faith, why are you torturing yourself?"

"Well I figured I'd be doing it in private since it was so late at night."

"Give me the ice cream."

Luke sat down with a spoon and ate the Starbucks Caramel Macchiato ice cream sitting on the couch between him and his sister.

"Wow, this is actually pretty good. I'm impressed."

"It's my favorite binging ice cream."

Faith turned back to the movie.

"I love this movie, so much."

"Ehh, I was never a big fan of Holly. I mean she was selfish and only ever thought of herself, and she still got the guy? Let me tell you from experience sister, that ain't real life."

Faith peered at him through her eyelashes.

"You'd think after so many years you would've gotten over it by now."

Luke just sighed and turned back to the television.

"How about we agree not to discuss each other's exes? This is an ex-free zone."

"Only, if you continue to supply the ice cream."

"Deal."

Faith picked up her camera.

"So, I was at the park today taking pictures and I saw the weirdest thing."

"Like what?"

"Well, Bob Hughes happened to be there sitting on a bench. I was going to go talk to him, but just as I got close, a person showed up. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but Bob was angry with the person. The person gave Bob a package and left."

"Did you get pictures of this?"

"Yes. I mean it was very strange."

Faith flipped through the pictures and Luke stared at each one.

"Is there any way to get these blown up or magnified?"

"Just let me upload them to the computer."

A few minutes later Luke was looking at them in high resolution on his laptop.

"Okay, so this person is small statured, so either a woman or a very small man. Clearly wearing a disguise."

"What do you think is going on?"

"I have no idea, Faith. But this is the story I've been working on for months. This has to do with the deaths of the doctors at the hospital. I mean, it is too much a coincidence that Bob suddenly retires, Reid is hired as the Chief of Staff, and in between Bob leaving and Reid coming, and two doctors end up dead, because they didn't want to sell the hospital to Invicta. Oh my Lord!" Luke looked as if just had a sudden epiphany.

"What?"

"When I picked Reid up from the hospital, Reid flew in on a private jet. That had Invicta on the side."

"You don't really think Reid is the man responsible do you?"

"It makes sense. He wanted Bob's job, the other doctor's may've stood in his way, and he worked for the corporation trying to buy Memorial. He was a neurosurgeon at their top hospital."

"Luke, you can't just go around accusing people without having cold, hard evidence."

"Believe me, I will find the evidence that proves Reid is the killer."

"Okay, Luke, listen to me. I know you don't like him because he broke your heart when you were a kid, but seriously, you are talking about his livelihood, his freedom, and his profession. You can't just take that away from him, regardless of your personal feelings about him."

"You know what? It'd be nice if my own sister would just back me up on this."

"I can't do that, Luke. Reid may be many things, but he is not a killer. You know this. I can't believe you would stoop this low."

"It has nothing to do with my feelings about him. It's just my job."

"Your job is to put someone in jail that is innocent? Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?"

"That's an archaic term for the justice system. It doesn't hold true today."

"You are going to regret this, Luke. Don't do this."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

Faith just shook her head as Luke headed back toward his bedroom.

The next morning, Luke looked at the text he had received the night before.

You are an asshole, Luke Snyder.

Luke groaned when he realized it was from Katie.

He called Katie.

"Hey, Katie, friend, how are you doing?"

"Don't you dare, friend me. Get your ass over here right now."

"I have to go to work, Katie."

"Luciano Eduardo Grimaldi Snyder, if you do not appear on my doorstep within the next 15 minutes, I will never speak to you again."

The phone clicked then and Luke knew she wasn't lying.

Damnit.

He grabbed his coffee, keys, and wallet and was out the door in less than two minutes.

He sped across town to Katie's, going through two stop signs to make it in time.

He was breathing heavily as he rang the doorbell.

Katie opened the door holding Madeline.

"Go in to the family room."

"But…"

"Just do it, Luke."

Luke just sighed and walked to the family room.

Jacob and Reid were sitting on the floor playing with trains.

Reid looked up. His face went from content and smiling to glaring and sparks shooting from his eyes.

Katie appeared in the doorway a few seconds later and told Jacob to go get his coat on.

She stepped back and closed the door. Luke and Reid could hear something sliding against the door.

Katie stepped into the room.

"Sit on the couch, both of you."

"Katie, I'm a grown ass man, I'll sit wherever I want."

The look Katie shot at Reid made him immediately stand up and sit on the couch. Luke soon followed.

Both men sat as far away from each other as possible.

"Now listen to me. I was no particularly happy that I got a phone call at 2 a.m. asking me to pick up Reid from the police station. But I went anyway thinking, Reid must've really pissed a patient off this time. To my surprise, Reid wasn't actually IN jail, he was AT the jail, because you left him there in a fit of immaturity."

"Fit of immaturity?" Luke was astounded.

Reid just smiled smugly.

"Immaturity? Did Reid tell you what he did?"

"I don't give a damn, Luke."

"Well, that's good to know."

"You both are immature."

Reid then gasped in outrage,

"I am not immature."

"And I'm not the mother of two children."

"How am I immature?"

"You constantly provoke Luke, so that he reacts, and that in turn causes ME to have to help you fix it."

"Name one instance."

"Try high school, when you flirted with Zach Conners, and Luke got so upset he wrecked his parent's car, and you came to me to help you come up with the money so he could fix the bumper, so his parents wouldn't find out. I had to give you over $300 and I ended up not being able to go on our senior trip!"

"Hey, I was in high school!"

"How about flirting with one of the orderlies when Luke went to the hospital to talk to Casey Hughes, and when it didn't work, the orderly stalked you around the hospital for days trying to get a date. You had me show up and pretend to be your transvestite lover!"

"Well…"

Luke was staring at Reid then in shock.

"You really are an ass."

"Oh, Luke, you are not one to talk."

Katie turned on him.

"You get mad that he kisses someone else so you just leave him in the middle of the night with no way to get anywhere? Who does that? Someone who is immature that's who!"

Luke just looked down in shame.

He could feel Reid's eyes on him.

"I am so tired of having four children to deal with. I thought my two were bad, but you two are worse. I am not getting in between you two anymore. From now on, fix your own damn problems. I love you both, because you are my best friends, but from this moment on, leave me out of it! Now, I'm going to take my children to the doctor for their appointment, make sure to lock up if you leave."

Katie turned then and was gone.

The silence was deafening.

Luke finally looked at Reid who was staring straight ahead with a slight pout on his face.

"I shouldn't have left you at the police station by yourself."

"No you shouldn't have. But whatever, I'm home in one piece."

Reid got up then.

"I need to change into my scrubs and head to the hospital. You can show yourself out."

Luke stood up then.  
"I can't believe you flirted with an orderly to get me jealous. I'm worth more than that, Reid. At least flirt with a doctor."

"Just be glad I didn't make you pose as my transvestite lover."

"That was low, Reid, even for you."

Reid just laughed bitterly and stalked out of the room.


	12. Chapter 12

Luke headed to work then. It had been a few days since he had made an appearance at the newspaper, and he knew he had at least a full day of paperwork to catch up on.

As Luke walked into the warehouse, it was relatively quiet.

Most of the reporters were out doing their beats, and the bullpen was bustling with quiet activity, as people ran copies, looked at film and microfilm.

Luke walked by Amber. She was typing furiously.

"Hey, Amber. What are you working on?"

"Oh, hey, Luke. I'm just typing up my notes I got from Pete's apartment."

"Are you okay?"

"What do you think? I am responsible for his death. No, I'm not okay."

"Amber, you are not the person that caused his death."

"I did though, if I hadn't picked him to help me, then he wouldn't be dead."

"But someone else would've."

"Oh, that really makes me feel better, Luke."

"Amber, listen to me. You are not responsible for this psychopath's actions. They were going to kill regardless of what anyone else may or may have not done."

"But, if I hadn't asked him for help…"

"Amber, stop torturing yourself."

"I can't help it, Luke. I feel awful."

"Do you want me to call Casey for you?"

"No! I don't want to bother with him this, plus he's working. I really need to get this done."

"Amber, maybe you should take a break."

"No, Luke. Someone lost their life because of me. I am going to make damn sure they didn't die in vain."

"Don't push yourself too hard, Amber."

"It's the least I can do, Luke. Someone's life was lost because of my actions. I may not have killed him with my hands, but I did kill him."

Amber turned her back on Luke then.

"Let me know when you're done with your notes, so I can add them to the case file."

Luke went to his desk then.

Four hours later, he was just returning his last call, when he looked up to see Amber.

"Thanks, Mr. Hendricks. We'll make sure to get that ad in Friday's issue. You too, bye."

Luke hung up the phone and sat back against his chair.

"So, what's did you find out?"

"Like everything else, it was hemlock poisoning."  
"Yeah, Reid told me. He was in the ER when Pete's body was found and Chris had a tox screen done on him."

"Well, I guess we can safely assume that anyone that worked on the case is being targeted."

"I'm tired of this case, Luke. Maybe we should just turn it over to Jack and Margo."

"After we've done so much ourselves? I don't think so. Besides, I think I have a good lead. I just need some help."

"What do you need?"

"I need to get into Reid's office to investigate. So I need his schedule."

"Well, do you want me to ask Casey for help?"

"No. I don't want to include him. There is a psychopath on the loose, and we haven't used him on the case. So I'm hoping whoever is after us won't target him."

"So what do you want me to do then?"

"Come with me to the hospital. Distract Casey long enough for me to get Dr. Oliver's schedule. Chris and Alison are the only two who have helped that haven't been targeted. Maybe one of them can help us."

Amber agreed and they left.

An hour later Amber and Luke arrived at the hospital. Amber convinced Casey to take an early lunch. Luke arrived a few minutes later. He headed toward the pediatric ward to find Chris when he ran into Alison at the nurses' station.

"Hey Ali, have you seen Chris?"

"He's in the emergency room."

"Oh, do you know when he'll be back in the ped's ward?"

"Probably not today. When I said he's in the emergency room, I mean he's there as a patient."

"Really? What the heck happened?"

"I think they said food poisoning. Apparently, he had abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and he complained about his eyes not tracking like they should. So he went immediately to the emergency room. He's on an IV right now and Dr. Oliver is trying to figure out what kind of poisoning it is."

"Damn. I hope he's okay."

"What's up?"  
"Oh, nothing. I was just hoping to get his help with something."

"Working on the case?"

"Uhh, what?" Luke was confused; he couldn't remember telling Ali about the case.

"Casey told me you were working on a story about the hospital."

"Oh. Yeah. I need Chris's help."

"Maybe I can help."

"I'm not sure you should help me."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, just, I don't want you to put your job in jeopardy."

"Is this help you need illegal?"

"Maybe."

"Try me, Luke."

"I need to get into Dr. Oliver's office to do some investigative reporting."

"By investigative reporting do you mean snooping?"

"Pretty much."

"Well, Dr. Oliver is rude and obnoxious. So I'd love to help you."

"Well, I need his schedule. I just want to know when he'll be in surgery or gone, so I can get in his office and out with no chance of getting caught."

"Well, he is a doctor, Luke. So he has the potential to be around whenever. But I'll print off the schedule that's in the system."

"Thanks, Ali. By the way, be careful."

"Okay?" Ali looked extremely confused.

"Just pay attention and be careful."

"You too, Luke." Ali handed him a sheet of paper and looked at him like he had two heads.

"Great. This helps so much!"

"He usually plays golf on Wednesday afternoons for four hours. Maybe try then."

"Thanks Ali, you're a great friend."

She flashed a smile and turned back to her paperwork.

Luke headed to the cafeteria then.

He grabbed a sandwich and some chocolate milk.

He saw Amber sitting at a table and joined her.

"So, where's your annoying boyfriend?"

"Hey, I heard that!"

Casey was walking to the table holding a huge bowl of ice cream.

"So, I got it."

"Great. Do you need my help with anything else?"

"Nope, from here on out, I'm doing it on my own."

"You guys know it's rude to talk about things that you don't want me to know in front of me."

"Sorry, Casey, we're done, I promise."

"So, Luciano. What are you doing in the cafeteria of the hospital? Don't tell me another family member had an accident."

"Nope, just came to talk to Ali. She helped me with the story."

"Oh, so you can use Ali, but not me?"

"Casey, you were the one to tell Ali about the case you didn't even know about."

"Wait, what?" Amber whipped her head to look at Casey.

"You told Ali about our case?"

"Was I not supposed to? I mean Ali and I are friends. We get bored at work, so we talk. It's not like I know anything, anyways."

"That's not the point, Casey!"

"Whatever. I'm going to the restroom. Maybe you'd like to share that with Alison too."

"Maybe, I will. It's better than talking about sick patients over and over."

Amber just rolled her eyes, picked up her tray and left the cafeteria.

"Dude, what the hell is up with crazy women?"

"You do realize you just asked a gay man about women? How in the hell would I know?"

"I just don't get her. She acts like she is all cool that I still talk to Ali, but then she throws temper tantrums!"

"Maybe she was just upset that you shared something with Ali that Amber shared with you in confidence. Maybe you should realize where she is coming from.

"What do you mean?"

"You are talking to an ex; about something your current girlfriend is involved in. She's probably just feeling insecure about that."

"I guess that could be it. So, anyways, about you."

"What about me?"

"Are you getting any yet?"

Luke burst out laughing.

"Way to change the subject off your problems. No, I'm not getting any. I'd rather stay single than get some from Reid Oliver."

"I still can't believe you haven't given in yet."

"I'm not that easily seduced, Casey."

"It has nothing to do with that, Luke. But seriously, whenever you guys are together you can cut the tension with a knife. Sparks fly between you two."

"Sparks of hatred maybe."

"I give it two more weeks at the most. The pool is up to $400."

"People are seriously betting when Reid and I are going to have sex?"

"Yep. My bet is that within two weeks you and Reid will be fucking each other into oblivion."

"You are so romantic, Casey. It's hard to see why Amber wouldn't be all about you."

Casey ate his last bit of ice cream, wiped his mouth, and stood up.

"Alright, as much fun as this was, and it always is, I have to get back to work. Catch you later, Luciano."

Luke turned back to his sandwich.

He was texting one of his ink suppliers, when someone sat down across from him.

He looked up to see Reid sitting across from him with two sandwiches, an apple, two donuts, and three cartons of milk.

Luke looked up to see Reid looking at him in amusement.


	13. Chapter 13

"So, do you make it a habit to eat lunch in hospital cafeterias?"

Luke stared in shock as Reid sat in front of him opening up his cartons of milk.

"No, I was just here seeing a friend. How in the world can you eat that much food? Where does it all go?"

"I have a high metabolism. I swim, I run, and my job keeps me active."

Luke reached for his milk.

"So, you consider that a well-balanced meal?"

"Well, it's not really a meal, more like a mid-morning snack."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Nope. Katie put fettuccini Alfredo in my lunch. I'll eat that in a few hours."

"I just cannot get over how much you eat in a given day."

"It's not any more than what I ate in high school."

"Yeah, but you were in track. So you worked it off."

"Among other things."

Luke could hear the laughter in Reid's voice.

He looked up and Reid was grinning at him facetiously.

"You can seriously joke about it?"

"Why not? It was over 15 years ago."

"You are a bigger person than I am, then."

"I am. Remember we measured them once. I won by a good two inches."

"Longer doesn't mean bigger and I definitely won that."

"I guess it's a tie."

Luke stood up and grabbed his tray.

"Well this has been an interesting conversation, but I need to get back to work."

"See you around, Luke."

Luke had been thrown for a loop. He felt awkward and weird. He hated the feeling. Reid could always get under his skin and make him feel strange.

Luke decided to take a walk in the park before he headed back to the newspaper.

He sat on one of the swings and flashed back to being on that exact swing 16 years earlier.

Luke and Reid had arrived back from Chicago with admonitions and lectures. They were forbidden to see each other again.

Luke couldn't handle it anymore. He was dealing with his father finding about his mom's affair and they were getting divorced, he was failing his classes because they were constantly fighting and keeping him awake. His mother had fallen into a depression and started drinking to cover the pain, and he had to take care of his siblings. And to make matters worse he couldn't see his boyfriend.

He finally had enough. A week after Chicago, Luke finally went to see Reid. He had heard Reid talking to a friend at school earlier that day that his parents were going to the neighboring town for dinner and drinks with friends and he had to spend the night at home with his sister and her friends babysitting a sleepover.

So at 7 p.m. he climbed through Reid's window.

Reid was standing at the end of the bed pulling clothes out of drawers and closets.

"What are you doing, Reid?"

Reid looked up to see Luke standing there staring at him.

"I'm leaving, Luke."

"What?"

"I'm going to school."

"But you still have two months before you have to be there."

"My parents are kicking me out, Luke. They told me they enrolled me for an early summer program for incoming freshmen. So I leave tomorrow morning."

"When were you going to tell me this?"

"Tomorrow."

"Oh, really? So my feelings just don't matter?"

"Luke, I don't have a choice. If I don't go now, they won't pay for school."

"You always have a choice; you are just choosing yourself over us. I'm glad to see how much I rate in your eyes."

"Luke right now I'm trying to think about my future. "

"That's funny, just last week you told me I was your future."

"You're right. I did say that, you are part of my future; at least I want you to be. But you cannot be the only thing in it. I need a career, something I passionate about, something I'm good at."

"So, what you're saying is that I'm not enough and I'm not good enough?'

"Of course not, Luke. Now you're just putting words in my mouth."

"I need you here, Reid. Why can't you see that? My parents are getting divorced; my real dad is back and told my mom he wants to be a part of my life."

Reid sat on the edge of his bed then and pulled Luke with him.

"I'm sorry, Luke. Is there any possibility of your parents working it out?"

"Not after she slept with Damian."

"Why would she think sleeping with Damian would be a good idea?"

"Maybe she needed comfort and the only place she could get it was from someone who cared."

"So she gets comfort by cheating on her husband, thus making her life more miserable? How does that make any sense? Cheating is just unforgivable."

"You just don't get it."

"Get what, Luke?"

"I just needed you here to comfort me and tell me everything was going to be alright. I don't need to rehash my mother's poor choices."

Reid was taken aback by Luke's words. He looked hurt.

"You know that I'm not a people person. I don't always say the right thing, but I am trying, Luke, because I love you."

"Yeah, well you should consider trying harder."

Reid looked as if someone had just stabbed him.

"I'm leaving tomorrow, Luke. Go home and calm down. Come back tomorrow morning when you feel better. You and I both know you don't want to leave things like this, but we should not continue this conversation and say things we'll both regret tomorrow."

"Figures, you kick me out when things get a little rough and you get your little feelings hurt. Who cares that I needed my boyfriend to comfort me tonight."

Luke turned and left without a look back at Reid.

He ran home. By the time he got home, he was still angry and upset.

He saw Holden leaving the house with boxes.

"Where are you moving to?"

"I'm going back to the farm."

"Can I come with you?"

"Luke, your mom really needs you and your sisters right now to help her. You should stay here."

"But I don't want to live with her. She's the reason my entire life is ruined!"

"Luke, your life is not ruined. I would love for you to come stay with me, but there is just no room at the farm right now. Meg is there as well as Jack and his kids."

"Oh, so Jack and his kids are more important than your own son. Well, good to know everyone in this town is consistent in their treatment of me. Have a nice life, Holden."  
"Luke!"

Luke refused to look at Holden. He took off running again. Hot tears streaming down his face.

He ran until he found himself at the park. He never went there at night, because it was the place where all the stoners hung out.

He goes in anyway not caring anymore.

As he sat on the swing, he could hear people in the background talking.

He sat on the swing for what felt like hours trying to calm down and work through his feelings.

Then he looked up and saw his former best friend Kevin walking toward him.

He held something in his hand.

"Luke Snyder, what are you doing in the park at this hour?"

Luke could tell he was wasted.

"I'm just thinking."  
"Thinking is always more fun when you've been drinking! Oh that rhymed!"

Kevin giggled to himself and flung himself on one of the swings.

"You look pissed."

"I am pissed."

"Well here then, make yourself happy."

He shoved the bottle at Luke's face.

Luke took it from Kevin's hand so he didn't hit him in the face with it.

"What is it?"

"Peach Schnapps."

Luke took a sniff of it and tried a sip.

He nearly gagged.

"This is disgusting."

"After half a bottle, you can't taste it anymore."

Luke picked up the bottle and chugged most of it down.

It took a few minutes, but finally a feeling of comfort and euphoria set in.

He forgot about the fight with Reid, his parent's divorce, Holden not wanting him, and his school problems.

He drank whatever was passed to him. People filtered in and out, but by the end, he only remembered Kevin.

He eventually passed out under the swing.

When he came to a few hours later, he was sitting against a tree, with vomit caked on his chest.

It was clear that he had thrown up sometime during his blackout.

He got up and realized he was still drunk.

He couldn't go home and face his family, so he did the next best thing.

He went to Reid's and banged on his window.

"Reid, let me in. I know you're in there!"

When Reid didn't immediately come to the window, he got louder.

"Reid Maxwell Oliver if you do not open the window, I'm going to start to sing."

A few more seconds passed by and Luke started singing,

"Give it to me baby, uh huh uh huh."

Finally, the window flung open.

"Why are you serenading my neighbors with The Bloodhound Gang?"

"Because it's a good song and because I couldn't remember the words to Funky Cold Medina."

"Are you drunk?"

"Maybe."

Reid helped Luke through the window. Luke stumbled and fell against Reid's chest. Had Reid not been leaning against the dresser they would've both toppled over.

"Why were you drinking?"

"Why do you think? You know people think you're a genius, but not so much."

"Whatever, Luke."

Reid went into the bathroom and brought back a glass of water for Luke.

"Drink this."

Luke drank half of it, put it on the nightstand and stumbled to Reid's bed.

Reid made sure his shoes and pants were off and moved to cover Luke with the sheet.

Luke pulled him on the bed though and snuggled into Reid's chest.

As he went to kiss Reid, Reid told him he wasn't making out with someone whose breath smelled like moldy bread.

Luke pouted and flipped over so his back was to Reid.

Reid tried to hold him, but Luke told him not to touch him.

Reid sighed and flipped over on his back.

Luke passed out almost immediately.

The next morning Luke awoke to a massive migraine.

He saw a note on the nightstand with a glass of water and two Advil.

I had to leave, Luke. I will be back in two weeks to get the rest of my stuff. I'll see you then. I'll write you every day. I love you. – Reid

Luke sat up and took the Advil.

He looked around Reid's empty room and cried.

That night he showed up at the park again. Wanting to forget that his boyfriend has just left him.

"Hey, Kevin. Mind if I join you?"

"Nope. Tonight we're drinking mt. dew and rum."

"Just give me the rum."

Kevin smirked and handed him the bottle.

Luke downed a good portion of it and sat on a swing.

It wasn't long before he was wasted and singing songs with Kevin.

Every night for two weeks Luke would show up at the park and get wasted with Kevin and his friends. His grades slipped further and further, he stopped talking to his family completely, and he stopped reading Reid's letters.

Luke was in the park drinking sprite and vodka when Kevin sat down by him,

"So, I never knew you were into drinking."

"I wasn't, but my life is shit right now, and well it's one thing that makes me not feel like shit."

"At least you have other things, Luke."

"What do you mean?"

"You have a boyfriend, you're in love. What could be so shitty about that?"  
"Reid left me today to go to college, my parents are getting divorced, and I'm failing nearly every class this grade. So I'll probably have to take summer school."

"Cool, well I'll be there, so at least you'll know somebody."

"That's comforting."

"So, Luke. Why did we stop being friends? I remember we used to do everything together."

"You figured out that I was gay in seventh grade and told me I was a sick pervert."

"Oh yeah. Well, I don't feel that way anymore."

"Really? You are suddenly no longer homophobic."

"I was never homophobic, Luke."

"How is telling someone they are a sick pervert for being gay, not being homophobic?"

"Maybe I was just scared."

"Scared about what?"

"Scared that I understood what you were talking about, but not wanting to admit it myself."

"What are you saying?"  
"What do you think I'm saying, Luke?"

"That you're gay?"

"Maybe."

"Well you are or you aren't gay, there is no maybe. If you're maybe, then you're either in denial, confused, or you're bi."

"I'm bi."  
"Seriously?"

"Who was your first guy?"  
"Your boyfriend."  
"What?"

"Relax, Luke, it was before you two hooked up. I used to mow his parent's lawn. He found out I was friends with you. One afternoon he was outside laying by the pool while I was moving. He invited me to go swimming when I was done. I was hot and so I said yes."

"Good god, this sounds like the beginning to a really bad porn movie."

"I went swimming in my jean shorts. I remember looking up to see him lying on the beach chair. He had a mixture of sweat and water glistening on his body. He was hot. I felt stirrings I hadn't felt since I realized I had a thing for you in seventh grade. He got in the pool, we roughhoused, then the next thing I knew he had me up against the pool wall, we were making out and his hands were down my shorts, jerking me off. I didn't complain. "

"I really don't need to hear any more of this."

"It lasted for six months until I got tired of him always wanting me to pretend to be someone else. The straw was when I figured out who he was having me be like. You. Then two weeks later you were together."

"Two questions. 1. You had a thing for me? 2. Reid seriously had you role play as me?"

"Yes and yes."

"Why didn't you say anything?"  
"Because I thought it would be awkward as hell to you that Reid was having me pretend to be you during sex."

"You know I was referring to the other thing."

"Because I was in denial. I didn't want to be gay or bi. I just wanted to be normal. But now I realize normal is subjective and I like having sex with guys and girls, and it doesn't make me a bad person."

"I can't believe this. I really had no idea."

"Yeah, well, it's no one's business but my own."

"So what did Reid have you do?"

"He always made me face away from him and since I have blonde hair it was easier to imagine I guess.

As Kevin described the sex, Luke's hand unwittingly went to his crotch. He started rubbing and soon he was hard.

Kevin noticed this.

"Are you seriously jacking off to the idea of your boyfriend and me having sex?"  
"No, to the idea of my boyfriend and you as me having sex."

Kevin stood up and walked over to where Luke was sitting.

"Why don't I just show you what we did instead of explaining?"

By this time, Luke was so wasted and gone that he just sat there.

Kevin bent down and released Luke's cock from his jeans slowly.

Then Kevin's mouth was on Luke working up and down.

Luke was close already from the thought of Reid.

It didn't take much for him to imagine it being Reid's mouth on him instead of Kevin.

In fact, it was so easy to imagine that he could see Reid's face in front of him.

Actually, it looked a little too real as Reid in his vision looked hurt, pissed, and shocked.

He squinted then and the image came into focus. Reid actually was there witnessing his boyfriend getting a blowjob from his former best friend.

Luke tried to stand up, but couldn't. The alcohol and the fact that Kevin still had his mouth wrapped around his cock prevented his movement.

He pushed Kevin away, pulled up his jeans and ran after Reid who was stalking back towards the park entrance.

"Reid, wait!"

"There is nothing you can say to me, Luke. NOTHING."

"You don't understand!"

"Understand what? That I just drove the sixteen hours it takes from Vermont to Oakdale, because I missed my boyfriend only to see him getting serviced by another guy?"

"No, I mean, yeah he did, but I was drunk. I didn't know what was going on."

"That is some lameass bullshit, Luke. Your inhibitions may be gone, but you knew what you were doing. The only reason you are sorry is because I happened to catch you."

"You know what, maybe I'm not sorry! You are the one who abandoned me when I needed you most, and Kevin was nice to me."

"So because a guy is nice to you it means you have to have sex with him? How many times have you let him fuck you?"

"Not once. Only oral. I don't see why you care anyway. You were the one to sleep with him first."

"I slept with him before you and I ever even got close to getting together. And don't you dare try to put this on me."

"Well you know for a fact that if you had been man enough to stand up to your parents and refuse to give me up, none of this would've happened. So, really it's your fault."

"It's my fault? You fucking another guy is my fault? That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I came home early to be with you, because I knew you needed me."

They finally arrived at Luke's house.

Reid walked in not caring who saw them.

"You can relax, Reid. My mother is so drunk these days she'll believe she imagined you."

Reid joined Luke in his room.

He saw the stack of unopened letters on the desk.

"You didn't even fucking read them?"

He was beyond livid.

"Does it matter? You left me what more was there to say?"

"I told you I loved you in those letters and that one day I wanted to prove to you how much, by marrying you and starting a family with you. I cannot believe that not only did you not read the letters you slept with someone else."

"I have needs to you know, Reid."

"Oh, I wasn't aware, Luke. I mean your needs were the only thing I heard about for two weeks straight. So when you called me to complain about your parents and school, was Kevin in the background blowing you?"

"No, the only time was tonight, Reid."

"Guess what, Luke? I had needs to do. I needed my boyfriend to understand that I needed more than just to be his boyfriend. I needed my boyfriend, who coincidentally was the reason I got kicked out of the house, to be on my side and you weren't. You were only on your side. So guess what, you get to be on that side from now on. We are done."

"Oh come on, Reid. Quit being a baby."

"I'm being a baby? Now, I'm being an adult here. You broke any trust or love we may have had when you decided that instead of trusting me and our love, you'd go out and whore it up. I cannot stand to look at you right now. You have ruined anything between us that was good."

"You had a hand in this too, Reid. Don't you dare blame this all on me!"

"I ruined things by loving you and trusting you?"

"No, by being an insensitive prick that always ran away when things got tough."

"You have no idea what the hell you're talking about, Luke. I was the one who was willing to be in it for the long haul. I was the one who was committed. You were the one who turned to another man."

Things were silent between them for what felt like an eternity.

Luke could see the tears on Reid's face and knew he had just ruined the only love he had ever known.

"I really hate myself, Luke. I told myself I wasn't going to cry over you because you weren't worth it, but damnit, I still love you. I want you to be happy. I want you to find peace. I just can't be around you for a while."

Luke looked at Reid. He suddenly felt overwhelmed and terrified. He knew that even if Reid and he worked things out, that they would inevitably fail like every relationship he had ever seen.

"I'll be happy eventually, Reid. You're just not it for me, I thought I made that clear when I let Kevin service me. "

Luke knew it sounded cold, but he was determined to walk away with a little bit of self-respect and dignity.

"Maybe you should work on your people skills more and realize when you've been played. I like Kevin, he gives me what I want and need and he's my age. I just feel normal around him and you really should find someone your own age, it's a bit creepy stalking freshmen in high school."

Reid's face went from shock to rage.

"You're telling me that this entire time you were just using me for sex?"

"Maybe. Kevin didn't seem to mind and you were good and all, but I just don't see a future between us."

With those final words, he knew he'd sealed his fate.

"Well, I guess I should thank you for the sex. Have a nice life, Luke, but do me a favor, go to hell. I cannot believe that you are standing there right now feeding me this bullshit. You and I were in love, it was great, and then you cheated. Don't try to deflect everything back on me. You and I both know the truth, but you are too immature to accept it. I'm going back to school tomorrow, and I'm going to make something of my life. It's really a shame that you will never share in it or experience it with me again. Have fun working your minimum wage job and peaking in high school."

With that, Reid turned, grabbed his stuff from Luke's room and was gone.

Things changed then. Luke started stealing liquor from his mother's and drinking every night.

Eventually he was drinking during the day, all day long.

He'd go to bars in neighboring towns by hitching rides, just so he could use his fake ids.

He'd bribe men to buy him alcohol by offering them blowjobs.

He had truly hit rock bottom.

This went on for nearly a year.

In the middle of his sophomore year, he met a girl named Janessa. She was a cheerleader and the sweetest girl in their class. They quickly became best friends. One night during football season the entire sophomore class decided to have a party.

An abandoned field was found, kegs were brought in and truck tailgates were lowered.

Luke showed up for the free beer and because Janessa begged him.

When they arrived Janessa went off with her cheerleader friends and Luke did a few keg stands.

Finally he was buzzed and feeling good.

Janessa came up to him and told him she wasn't feeling well. He blew her off and told her to lay down in the back of one of the trucks. He found Kevin smoking a joint and joined him.

Two hours later he went to find Janessa.

Janessa was laying in the back of the truck. He went to shake her and found her cold, lifeless body.

As soon as everyone heard his screams they abandoned the party. Luke was left alone with Janessa in the field.

Her friends knowing something was terribly wrong called the police from home.

When Janessa finally arrived at the hospital she was pronounced dead.

Luke was beside himself.

Janessa had never drank before that night. But when they took her blood alcohol it was .550. She had died of alcohol poisoning.

Luke refused to show up to school or her funeral for the rest of the year. He entered rehab and joined alcoholics anonymous. It took the death of his best friend to realize what an idiot he had been.

One of his steps was to make amends with people he had wronged when he was under the influence. SO he wrote letters to his parents, siblings, friends, and one to Reid.

That was the last time he had ever tried to make contact with Reid.

Now here they were sixteen years later, he an alcoholic and Reid still a jackass. What a pair they were.


	14. Chapter 14

Three days passed when Luke was sitting at his desk looking over his notes and comparing them to rest of his team's. He looked at the clock on his laptop to see it was mid afternoon. He realized that it would be the perfect time to sneak into Reid's office. So he put his phone on silent, grabbed his keys and headed to the hospital.

As he arrived he saw Dr. Oliver leaving the premises with someone else.

He knew he had a good few hours before Reid would be back, so he took his time. He didn't want to run straight for the office, in case someone was watching and thought it a bit odd.

He passed Ali in the hallway. She just smiled and winked at him as they passed each other.

He finally came to Reid's office, took a look around and stepped inside.

To his surprise the office was actually in a bit of disarray. There were boxes not yet unpacked, folders sitting atop the massive filing cabinets in the room, and food wrappers strewn all over his desk.

Luke headed straight for the filings sitting on Reid's desk.

He had gotten through four of them when heard what sounded like Dr. Oliver's voice just outside.

Then he heard Ali standing in the front of the door,

"Oh, Dr. Oliver, I have a quick question for you."

"Make it quick, I'm a busy man."

Luke quickly put everything back just the way he found it, but knew there was no escaping the room without being seen. She he sat in one of the chairs across from Reid's desk and waited.

A few minutes later, he heard the doorknob turn.

"What are you doing in my office, Mr. Snyder?"

"Just waiting for you."

"Why?"

"I thought maybe we should talk."

"What in the world is there for us to talk about?'

"Whatever you want to talk about."

Reid clearly not buying the nonchalant flippant attitude of Luke's, went to his desk and opened a drawer.

"Why don't you just tell me why you're here, Luke, I can say no and then we both can move on. I really don't have the time for your petty games today."

"Fine, I wanted to ask you a question."

"I figured that much."

"Why in the world did you pretend as if you didn't recognize me at the airport the day you flew back? I mean, you even appeared surprised to hear I was gay."

"Oh come on, Luke. What did you expect me to say? 'Hey there former gay lover of mine, how's life?' I mean you had people with you. I am capable of common courtesy and decency. Plus, you played right along. And for the record, I didn't immediately recognize you. I hadn't seen you since high school."

"You expect me to believe that you have not seen one single of picture of me since you moved to Vermont?"

"Not one, Luke. Katie would send me updates all the time, but I burned every picture she sent, and I never got into facebook or myspace or any of the stalker websites. I just didn't care."

"Wow. That was harsh."  
"Would you rather I lied and said I did? We'd both know I'd be lying. Anyways, I just continued our charade of not knowing each other, because it pissed you off and frankly it was less awkward than actually reliving our history."

"And you said you didn't want to play my petty games?"

"Luke, I'm not stupid. I know that you did not come here to ask me that question. You may as well just tell me why you're really here."

"Maybe I just wanted to be near you."

With that Luke stepped forward and touched Reid's arm.

Reid set his cup of coffee down on his desk.

"Are you seriously trying to seduce me? You think flirting with me is going to distract me so much I would just drop my pants?"

"Why do you have to be so distrusting?"

"Maybe because we have not had a real conversation in over 16 years and here you are trying to distract me by seduction. Only an idiot would fall into that trap, Luke."

"Such a shame that you can't be more trusting. I'll see you later."  
"Luke, I'm going to figure out why you're really here eventually, so you may as well save yourself the trouble of coming up with a lie."

"Whatever. What are you doing here anyways? Don't you golf on Wednesday afternoons?"

"I do, but I forgot my sunglasses, so I came back for them. You are keeping me from that game."

"Well then, don't let me keep you any longer."

"Is that what this is about? You heard about my weekly golf game and wanted an invitation?"

"Sure, that's the reason I'm here."

"Well, come one. I'm already half an hour late for my tee time."

"Wait, what? Are you inviting me to golf with you?"  
"You basically invited yourself, Luke; I'm just trying to save you a little dignity."

"How in the hell did I invite myself? You pushed me into telling you why I was here. I didn't ask for an invitation. Maybe I was being sarcastic when I said that was why I was in your office."

"Really? So you don't want to golf with me then? No problem, you'd probably only embarrass yourself anyway."

"Are you kidding me? I'm a CEO of a foundation, a shipping company, and a newspaper. How do you think I get so many investors and donators? By spending hours a week on golf courses."

"And I'm a doctor; actually I'm the Chief of Staff of a hospital. We are sort of known for keeping golf courses in business."

"You know what? I'm going, only because I want to prove to you that I not only will not embarrass myself, but I probably will embarrass you, plus I can't remember ever being invited by you anyway."  
"I invited you to prom, Luke. You said no."

Luke felt like he had just been punched in the stomach. He couldn't believe Reid had gone there.

"Regardless, lead the way, Dr. Oliver."

"Oh I plan to."

Luke just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

He headed to his car, when Reid waved him over.

"We can just take my car, Luke. Besides, I owe you a few rides."

Luke just looked at him warily.

"You know if I end up missing, I do have people that will come looking for me."

"I'm not going to murder you, Luke. We are way past that stage."

"Fine."

They drove to the course in silence.

As soon as they arrived, Luke headed to the pro shop to rent clubs for the afternoon.

As he rounded the corner he pulled out his cell phone.

"Hey Amber, can you get to the hospital?"

"Sure, why?"

"I am golfing with Reid right now. I need you to go to the hospital, get in his office, and find anything you can about his involvement with the case."

"What am I looking for specifically?"

"Anything that connects him to the murders."

"Okay, got it. I'll need a few hours."

"You have four."

Luke grabbed his clubs, bought a new glove and headed to find Reid.

He saw him standing next to a tall, tan, blonde man.

He was extremely good looking with perfectly coiffed blonde hair, dimples, and chiseled face and jaw.

"Hey, Luke, I'd like for you to meet Dr. Steven Campbell."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you, Dr. Campbell."

"You can call me Steve."

"I'm Luke Snyder."

"Oh, you're one of the famous Snyders?"

"We're famous?"

"I've only been here two days and I swear half the town is owned by a member of your family!"

"Well, we do well for ourselves."

"So, Luke, are you involved in the hospital as well?"  
"I'm on the board, but actually I own and run the newspaper, Luke Snyder Foundation, and Grimaldi Shipping. SO those endeavors keep my pretty busy."

"Oh, a regular business entrepreneur. "

"Steve, I'm sure Luke doesn't want to talk about his businesses."

"Oh, I don't mind. So where are you from Steve?"

"Oh, I'm from Vermont. Just here visiting Reid."

"Oh really? You and Reid are friends?"

"We sure are, although we actually dated for seven years."

"Wow."

Those words were like a knife wound to Luke's side.

"Oh, so you and Reid used to date?"

"Well, I guess you could put it that way. Actually, Reid and I dated, but now we are married."

Sound suddenly seemed to diminish in Luke's ears and he felt as if he was having an out of body experience. He grabbed one of his clubs and steadied himself.

He managed to squeeze out, "You're married?"

Reid had been watching him the entire time and Luke knew what those words had done to him.

Steve was blissfully unaware as he wrapped one of his arms around Reid.

"Well, we should probably get started or we'll be out here all night."

Luke felt his face flush as Reid grabbed a club out of his bag and teed up the ball. He never took his eyes off Luke's.

"Watch and learn, Snyder."

He cleared his throat; he could feel a migraine coming on and knew it would be the longest afternoon of his life.


	15. Chapter 15

Luke watched as Steve and Reid looked at each other and burst out laughing.

He was so confused. He felt like he could pass out any moment.

Reid was by his side then.

"Are you okay, Luke?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just didn't eat much today."

"Here sit down in the golf cart and put your head between your knees."

Reid reached into his golf bag and pulled out a candy bar.

He put it in Luke's hand.

Eat this when you're feeling better.

He kneeled in front of him and watched as the color in Luke's face finally returned to normal.

Luke looked down embarrassed.

He finally opened a corner of the candy bar and ate a bit.

"I'm feeling better, Reid. No need to worry about me."

"You looked like you were going to pass. Humor me. Eat the whole thing."

"Fine."

Steve was watching them still grinning.

"What is so funny?"

"Luke, Steve and I are not married."

"Oh, but why…?"

Luke was majorly confused.

"Steve and I were college roommates. We became best friends and he invited home for Christmas break. The running gag then was that I was boyfriend. He wasn't gay, but he got tired of his family asking him when he would get married. So eventually, we just told people we were married to get them to leave us alone. Plus, he thinks it's hilarious to tell other guys that we're married to see their reaction."

"Wait, so, you're not married?"

"No. I have no desire to get married and Steve is straight and married to my sister, Kennedy."

"You should tell Steve that his joke wasn't very funny."

"Well based on your reaction, I would say it was actually."

"You are both jerks. No wonder you are best friends."

"Oh come on, Luke. Lighten up."

Luke finally caught his breath and colors returned.

"Seriously, Reid. I'm fine. Go back to your game."

"Well, it's not really much of a game without someone to play against."

"Why don't you just play against Steve?"  
"He's not very good. He's even worse than you, I'm afraid."

"Hey! I heard that!"

Steve pointed his club at Reid and beckoned.

Luke, finally feeling better, grabbed his clubs and pulled out his driving wedge.

"Sorry, Luke. Didn't mean to give you panic attack."

"It's okay, Steve. But you didn't. Just low blood sugar."

"If that's what you want to call it."

"So, what are you really doing in Oakdale?"

"Reid invited me to take over the Neurology wing. I'm visiting and seeing if I like it or not. Kennedy said she doesn't care where we live. She likes Vermont, but she'd love to move back to Oakdale, so that Preston can be closer to family."

"Preston?"  
"Our 6 month old son."

"Really? Reid never mentioned having a nephew."

"I have a feeling Reid hasn't told you a lot."

"That is true."

They watched as Reid drove his first ball.

Then it was Luke's turn.

Just as he went to drive, Reid spoke up,

"Don't shank it, Luke!"

Luke caught himself just before he swung through.

"You're funny, Reid."

Reid just grinned precociously at him.

Luke finally swung and beat Reid's ball by a good ten feet.

"Still sure of yourself there brain wizard?"

The look on Reid and Steve's face was enough for Luke.

He left his clubs and started walking.

"Luke, you might want to take your clubs with you."

"Oh, I'm sorry Reid, I figured you would get them, since it's clear your only worth on a golf course was that of a caddy."

Luke heard Reid scoff behind him, but when he turned around Reid had picked up Luke's bag and was walking toward him.

A few hours passed and they were on the 18th hole. Reid and Luke were pretty close and it came down to a final putt for Luke. He lined it up, and just as he was about to swing, he saw Reid walking toward him.

"Luke, your stance is all wrong; you're going to slice it if you stand like that."

"Whatever, Reid. If I sink this putt, then I win, and you're just nervous."

"I'm not nervous, I'm actually impressed, but seriously, you're standing wrong.

Without warning, Reid's arms were around Luke. He corrected his grip on the club, and bent his hips and nudged his legs apart further.

Suddenly Luke felt incredibly uncomfortable to be in that position.

Steve's eyebrows were up in hair and slowly broke out into a grin.

Before he knew what was going on Steve had his blackberry out and took a picture.

Luke knew he was blushing and he was tingling all over.

Then Reid released him stepped back, put his sunglasses back on and leaned against the golf cart.

Luke was so rattled he just stood there for a few minutes looking at his ball.

"Anytime today, Luke."

He snapped out of his stupor. He bent over, grasped the club in his hand, remembering where Reid had shown him and putted. The ball went in and the game was over. He had won by two strokes.

Reid said nothing. He put his clubs back in his bag, picked it up, placed it on the back of the cart and waited for Steve and Luke to do the same.

The entire ride back to the clubhouse was quiet.

When they were finally there, Luke couldn't get out of there fast enough.

"Hey, Luke."

Luke turned around to see Steve walking toward him.

"Reid and I are going to get a bite of lunch; do you want to join us?"

"I really need to get back to work."

"Oh come on, you can't spare a few more hours?"

Reid looked nonchalant and barely acknowledged Luke's presence.

"Sure. I'll join you."

"Great. Winner pays"

"Oh, I see why you wanted me to join you."

They were seated a few minutes later.

Luke couldn't help but remember the week before when he and Reid had their altercation there.

Reid seemed to remember it as well and flashed a smile to Luke.

The lunch revolved around college memories of Luke and Steve, streaking in the quad, dropping urine balloons on exes, study sessions that included tequila and Bob Dylan music, and hiking in the woods and cliff diving.

Luke had never heard the stories before and each memory was like a knife to the stomach. A reminder of how stupid he was in high school, of what he had missed in Reid's life. Instead of feeling the normal feelings of anger and dislike all he felt was loneliness and emptiness.

Before he realized it, three hours had passed.

"I really have to go. I have a few meetings that I cannot miss. "

"It was great to meet you, Luke."

"You too, Steve."

"Well, Luke, you impressed me today. Looks like you are a great golfer after all. Let me know if you ever want a rematch."

"Thanks, Reid. Have a good day."

Steve told Reid he was going to use the restroom and followed Luke out.

"Luke, how long are you going to pretend that you aren't in love with Reid?"

"What?"  
"It's pretty clear to me that you two still are over the moon for each other."  
"I'm not sure that is the case."

"Denial is not a good color on you, Luke. Reid is my best friend, and I have never seen him light up around any other man and we were in school together for seven years. I want him happy and if that's you, then great, but if not, then let him move on."

"I'm not holding him back."

"Luke, your reaction to hearing we were married, tells me that you are. Either shit or get off the pot."

With that, Steve left him and headed back into the restaurant.

Luke looked back as he saw Steve and Reid laughing.

He was so confused about his feelings for Reid.

Just then, he got a text.

I didn't find anything, Luke, maybe you need to try.

Luke was snapped back to reality. Reid could be the killer and his feelings about him wouldn't matter. He had to find out once and for all.


	16. Chapter 16

"I need to know."

"Luke, I'm telling you that I didn't find anything linking him to the murders. I don't think he's the killer. Besides, he's been helping us with the case. Why would he do that if he's the killer?"

"He's trying to stay close to it to keep an eye on it. Have you ever seen The Bone Collector? The killer worked for the main detective trying to solve the case!"

"You watch too many psychological thrillers, Luke."

"We cannot be too careful here, Amber. There is a killer on the loose and he's already killed three people. We know the killer is targeting whoever is working on the case."

"God, you don't think I know that? That's all I can think about Luke, but honestly I do not think Reid is the one."

"Fine, but I am getting back in there and doing my own investigating."

"Fine, but I'm not helping you. You seem to have some sort of personal vendetta out against him, and I refuse to go along with putting a potentially innocent man behind bars for something he did not do."

"Fine."

Luke slammed the door then.

He flung himself back on his couch.

Stupid fucking employees.

Luke rubbed his hand over his face.

What if they're right? What if Reid is innocent? You still have to find out one way or the other."

He stood up then with resolve and determination.

He grabbed his cellphone and keys and headed out the door.

As he walked into the hospital, he saw Katie talking to Chris.

"Hey guys."

"Luke!"

Katie grabbed him into a hug.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, nothing, just came to talk to Casey."

Katie turned to Madeline who was cooing in her stroller.

Luke stepped closer to Chris.

Under his breath, he whispered

"I need a huge favor."

"What?"  
"I need for you to distract Reid for a few hours, so I can get into his office."

"Luke, I can't do that."

"Come on, Chris. It's for the benefit of the hospital. If I can figure out who the murderer is, everything goes back to normal."

"Reid is a douche bag, granted, but I highly doubt he is the killer."

"Just humor me, Chris."

"Fine."

Chris had Reid paged.

When Reid rounded the corner, he saw Luke talking to Katie and Chris.

"What do you need Doogie?"

"I need for you to come on a consult with me in pediatrics."

"For what? Do you need me walking you through the steps on how to change a Band-Aid on a scraped knee?"

"Reid, quit being a jerk and just go."

Katie was shooting daggers at him.

"Fine, but I'm scheduled to leave in an hour, so if it takes longer than that you owe me dinner, Katie."

Katie just rolled her eyes and told Reid to get a move on.

As they walked away, Chris looked back .

Luke mouthed "thank you" to him.

He waited until they were out of sight, before Luke opened the door to Reid's office.

He went to the desk first and started sorting through items.

He finally came to the bottom right drawer. He opened it to see pictures.

Some of Katie and him when they were younger, two of Katie and Reid at her wedding to Chris, a few of his parents, and at the bottom, Luke saw the letter he wrote to Reid.

He pulled it out. It was still in the original envelope, creased and worn. It was faded yellow from age.

He pulled the letter out to see it also was in the same condition. Except that, there were blotches and stains on the page. Luke recognized them as tear stains and his breath caught in his throat.

Suddenly the door opened, and light from the hallway flooded the room.

Luke looked up to see Reid standing in the doorway staring at him with a look of anger and something else.

"Why the hell are you in my office going through my personal belongings?"

Luke knew he was caught.

"I was looking for evidence."

"Evidence of what?"

"That you murdered Dr. Rosenthal, Dr. Murdoch, and Pete."

"You seriously think I am capable of murder?"

Reid's face that had been stony was now mixed with hurt, anger, and sadness.

"I don't know, Reid. I don't know you anymore."

"Yes you do, Luke. I am the same person that you knew in high school. Yes, I am older, and yes, I have more experience on me, but who I am hasn't changed. I honestly cannot believe that you thought I was the murderer."

"Well, there were a lot of signs pointing to you being the killer."

"Like what?"

"You arrived on an Invicta jet. You were suddenly so eager to talk to me again and help with my case, and you knew what the poison was without even testing it."

"First of all, the hospital I worked at before here was bought out by Invicta three weeks before I was offered the job here. I took the company plane, because they insisted. Secondly, I was doing your mother a favor. She wanted me to ease the blow of me living with her by not torturing you, so I obliged, because I love your mother as if she were my own, third, I am a certified genius, Luke. I know a lot of stuff. That doesn't make me a killer. Now lastly, maybe you should've started by simply asking me where I was the nights the doctors were murdered. I was still in Dallas, asshat. I have people who can verify it, in fact the night Dr. Murdoch died, I was getting laid by a hot blonde orderly, and I'm sure he'd be very happy to provide you with a long and vivid detailed report."

"Okay, so you're not the murderer. I just had to be positive."

"Why?"

"Because if I was to continue associating with you and accepting your help on the case, I had to make sure you weren't the killer."

"Are you kidding me, Luke? So, what you're afraid I'm going to ruin your reputation?

"What?"

"You haven't changed on bit since high school. Always so afraid of what everyone else thinks."

Luke stood up to leave.

"Don't let me stop you, Luke. Look through anything you want. I have nothing to hide."

"Including the letter I sent you that is now tear stained?"

"What do you want me to say, Luke? You sent that to me not long after we broke up. I was still in a bad place."

"And now?"

"And now what?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm standing in the middle of my office at Oakdale Memorial Hospital, in Oakdale, Illinois."

"You know what I mean."

"I'm nowhere, Luke. We broke up a long time ago. We are now older and wiser and have moved on. I keep that letter as a reminder of what giving your heart to someone does. It softens you until all your defense are down, and then when you least expect it, it stabs you in the heart and makes your life a living hell."

"Reid, not all love is like that."

"Nope, only the love I've ever known. You, my parents, pretty much anyone that's ever met me."

"Reid…."

Reid refused to look at him.

Luke's heart felt heavy in his chest. He hated what he had done to Reid and he had just hurt him farther by questioning him about being the murderer.

Of course, he isn't a murderer.

Luke felt awful.

He stood at the door and stared at Reid awhile.

"You can go, Luke. I have nothing further to say to you."

"What about the case?"

"What about it?"

"Are you still interested in helping with it?"

"I think I'll pass. I don't want to be mistaken for the murderer again."

Luke sighed then and closed the door.

He hated the feeling he had now.

Like he had just lost something very important and he wasn't going to ever get it back.


	17. Chapter 17

Luke was sitting in Al's enjoying an early breakfast or an extremely late dinner of chili cheese fries and Dr. Pepper. It was four a.m. and he couldn't sleep. He had been walking around Oakdale all night in the misty cool air and finally forced himself to get in out of the cold.

When he got to the diner, he was surprised to see Alison working a late shift.

"What are you doing here, Ali?"

"Oh, well Henry told me I could pick up a few late night shifts here and there."

"Really?"

"Well, I've been dealing with insomnia for a while and I figured if I can't sleep I may as well do something productive. What are you doing here at four in the morning?"

"Couldn't sleep either."

"Any particular reason?"

"There are a lot of reasons all compiled on top of each other."

"Well, if you want to talk about it, let me know."

"Can you just get me a double order of chili cheese fries and a large Dr. Pepper?"

"Sure thing."

Luke sat at the table picking apart his napkin, thinking about how foolish he had been when it came to Reid.

He had always known deep down that Reid was not the one responsible for the deaths, but he couldn't help but want it to be true. Maybe, if he believed it hard enough, Reid would be guilty and then he'd disappear again. If that happened, Luke could go back to being confident, self-assured, and he would quit having conflicting emotions all damn day.

This way he could get rid of the guilt and shame, he felt when Reid looked at him. Every stupid time Luke felt as if Reid has just pierced his soul with those blue eyes of his.

Luke hated the constant confusion. One minute he wanted to strangle Reid, then the next all he wanted was to kiss him, and Luke hated those feelings. The feelings of want, need, lust, and love. He hated it, because he knew he was the reason they had broken up all those years ago, and no matter what he felt for Reid, it was too late.

He felt the hot tears slide down his cheeks and splash onto the napkin.

Great, now I'm crying about him.

Luke had never allowed himself to cry over Reid. Not even when Reid had left him to go back to school that final time, or even when he saw the tear stained letter that he had sent Reid.

Now he couldn't stop. He was exhausted. He put his head on his arms and wept. The only thing he could see was the devastated look of hurt and betrayal on Reid's face the night he saw Kevin and him in the park having sex, and that same look on his face when he accused Reid of being the killer.

He hated knowing that he was responsible for being the one who drove Reid to a place where he completely shut his heart off to love or the possibility of it.

He felt a hand on his shoulder then and he looked up.

He could see the look of concern and worry in Alison's eyes.

She set his food on the table and slid in next to him.

She just sat there with her arm around his shoulders and after a few seconds, he was able to pull himself together.

"Are you sure you're okay, Luke?"  
"I'll be fine, Ali. Really."

Ali looked at him warily but got up anyway.

She went behind the counter and made a fresh pot of coffee.

"I've had a lot of stuff going on lately and with the hospital killings and having Reid back, well it's just taken a toll on me."

He took a large bite of fries and a gulp of his Dr. Pepper.

"So, you're crying over Reid?"  
"Pretty much."

"Luke, it's been like 15 years. At some point, you just need to move on. Reid has."

"Well, that's the thing, Katie told me he hasn't. He never gave his heart to anyone else, and I feel horrible knowing that I was the one responsible for that."

Luke looked out the window to see it now raining. The streaks of raindrops down the windows reminded him of his tears earlier.

"How are you responsible?"

"I cheated on him with Kyle when we were in high school and he saw it."

"And after sixteen years he hasn't gotten over it? That's a little pathetic isn't it?"

"I don't know. I feel guilty. I moved on. I had relationships after him, and I even loved someone else. Well at least I thought I did."

"You are both pathetic. You were teenagers. Get over it already. I'm telling you, Luke. You need to get laid; I can totally set you up with my roommate, Noah. He's totally cute."

"Noah as in Java, Noah?"

"You know him?"

"Yeah, I see him whenever I get my morning coffee."

"He's totally hot, right?"

"Ali, I'm not interested."

"Come on. He's cute and I think you'd be great together."

"Ali, seriously, just because he's gay and I'm gay, doesn't mean we are compatible."

"Fine, but you totally need to get laid."

"I really wish people would quit telling me that."

Just then, the door opened and in walked Reid and Steve.

Luke caught Reid's eyes and immediately his stomach tensed up.

Reid quickly looked away and walked into the restroom.

Alison got up, took Luke's empty plate and walked into the kitchen.

Steve walked over to his booth and slid in across from him,

"So, what in the world are you doing here at 5 a.m. on a weekday morning?"

"I couldn't sleep, so after walking around town for four hours, I decided to stop for something to eat. What are you and Reid doing here at 5 a.m.?"

"I have a seven a.m. flight out of here. He owed me after the golf game, so I insisted he take me to the airport and buy me breakfast beforehand."

"Sounds fair."

"So, I saw that look between you two when we walked in. Have you thought more about what I said?"

"A little."

"I'm telling you this now, Luke. If you don't make things right soon, I'm going to start encouraging Reid to move on. He needs to be happy, and while I think you and he are soul mates and the love of each other's lives, he deserves to be loved in return, fully and completely. I'm going to be in Vermont for about a month, but then I'm coming back to move here. You have that time to come to your senses and go after him. If you don't, then you do not deserve him and I'll encourage Reid to find someone else."

With that, Steve stood up and sat at a different booth.

Luke sat there in shock with his mouth open slightly.

When Reid came out, he caught Luke's eye.

Reid slightly grinned at the expression and turned to sit with Steve.

Luke threw some money on his table and headed out.

He stopped at Steve and Reid's table,

"Have a good flight, Steve. See you in a month."

He and Steve shook hands.

"I'll see you in a month, Luke. "

The pointed look on his face did not go unnoticed by Luke.

"Reid."

"Luke."

With that, Luke walked out the door.

His phone vibrated then,

"Hello?"

"Hey, Luke, it's Amber."

"Hey, what can I do for you?"

"So, we need to get more evidence."

"For what?"

"Well, turns out Chris's symptoms were indicative of hemlock poisoning. So we're testing the bottled water he had that day, which was taken into evidence last night by Margo."

"So?"  
"So, that means you need to get back into the evidence locker and getting a sample and that means working with Reid again… if you think you can handle it."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"I mean are you sure you can handle watching him make out with the officer again?"

"I don't understand why people won't get over that. I don't care who he makes out with."

"Whatever you say, Luke."

"Fine, I'll talk to Reid and see about getting that sample."

Luke pocketed his phone and turned around to head back into Al's.

Reid looked up to see Luke walking back towards him with determination.

"Can I help you, Mr. Snyder?"

"Yes. For one, stop calling me that, and secondly, you remember that thing you helped me with before? I need it again."

"Hell no. "

"Why the hell not? You got to make out with a hot police officer and got to play detective."

"Because you fucking left me there stranded!"

"If I promise not to do that this time, will you please consider it?"

Luke could tell Reid was struggling with the decision.

"I even promise to take you out for another lobster and steak dinner at the Lakeview."

"Yes."

The answer was almost instantaneous.

Luke just rolled his eyes.

"I'll text you with the time later."

With that, Luke turned and left Al's.

Luke wasn't any more thrilled about the idea of Reid's help, than Reid was giving it. Luke immediately flashed back to seeing Reid with his tongue down a random guy's throat and his blood began to boil. He knew it was a stupid and jealous reaction, but damnit, Reid wasn't supposed to be kissing other guys.

Luke felt like an idiot. It had been 16 years. Reid was allowed to kiss whomever he wanted. Luke was the one to cheat on him, never return any letters or phone calls, and the one to move on with multiple guys after Reid left. It was all him.

The sudden overwhelming epiphany flooded him and he staggered against the wall of Al's.

He felt like such a fool. He hated himself in that moment.

He quickly forced himself to pull it together and he went home.

He knew he only had a few hours before he needed to meet up with Reid, and he was determined to get a good night's sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

The letters had started coming during Luke's junior year of high school. By that point, he and Kevin had broken up and gotten back together more times than he could count and it was always only ever for sex. They'd be together for a week, then they'd break up when Kevin would want more and Luke just couldn't give it.

Luke would come home to find a letter addressed to him in the mailbox. He knew whom it was from, but every day he would take the letter put it in a box unopened.

He could never bring himself to read what he had written. Truth be told he was scared, scared of what would be said to him. Scared that if he opened them and it was all about how much he was hated, that it truly would be the end and that there was nothing left but rubble and ash from a former love, a former life.

As Luke stepped into his apartment, all he could think of was the day after his high school graduation, the letters stopped. By that point, he had accrued well over 500 letters and cards. He missed opening the mailbox every day and seeing the familiar handwriting on the front. Truth be told he missed Reid, but he was far too stubborn and too far decimated to ever act upon it.

As Luke stepped into his apartment, the only light he saw was the light filtering in through his living room windows.

The darkness and silence was almost deafening.

Luke hated the feeling of being lost and trapped in that world. So, he flipped on every light he could find and turned on his television.

He threw his takeout food in the microwave, grabbed a mineral water, and ate his dinner for one in front of the television.

Every so often, he would look at his closed bedroom door and think about all the unopened letters in his closet. He knew exactly where they were too. Sitting in a shoebox labeled, Tax Receipts. Every time he thought about getting up and retrieving them, something held him back.

He couldn't concentrate on anything. He tried to do research and all he saw was Reid's tongue down the officer's throat, he tried to read a book and all he could picture was Reid with Steve's arm around him, he tried to watch a movie, and all he could think of was the last movie he and Reid had seen together. It was at the drive in, and Luke and Reid had christened the backseat of Reid's new car. Luke couldn't even remember the movie they went to see, but he could tell you every detail about that car, and the best and least painful way to have sex in it.

Luke tried desperately to think of anything but Reid, but no matter what he tried, Reid was there, crowding in and taking over every part.

He worked closer and closer to his bedroom, and when Faith came home two hours later, he was still there pacing in front of his door.

Every so often, he would look longingly at his bedroom door, whimper, and then continue pacing.

"What the hell are you doing, Luke?"

"Umm, nothing."

"Are you locked out of your room or something?"

"No. "

"So go in."  
"I can't!"

"Why not?"

"Because if I go in, then I'm going to stay up all night reading the letters, but if I don't go in, I'm going to stay up all night freaking out and wondering what they say."

"I love ya, big brother, but I don't have a clue what are you talking about."

"Reid sent me letters every day for over a year. "

"And you never read them."

"Right."

"So why are you suddenly so confused now? I mean you broke up 16 years ago. The letters are old, why torture yourself?"

"Because I want closure. I want to be able to move on."

"Is that really what you want?"

"Why else would I say it?"

"Luke, there is a reason you haven't read those letters. I'm telling you right now that Reid would not have sent you a letter every day for over a year if he hated you. If he hated you, he would have sent you one letter and moved on with his life. The fact that neither of you have been able to move on, says something. I think your biggest problem is that you are afraid to read what he has to say to you. Because if he forgives you, it means you have to forgive yourself and move on. You cannot go through the rest of your life constantly blaming yourself for Janessa's death, or for Damian and your mother not working out, or for Reid not being able to move on. Maybe he's in the same position. Maybe he doesn't want to move on; maybe he used you as an excuse not to. Yes, you did a really crappy thing to him, but it's time for you both to move on. And I don't mean that you have to move on from him, because obviously, you two are still madly in love, but you need to bury the past, learn from your past mistakes, and start something new. Now quit wearing a hole in the carpet and read the damn letters."

Faith kissed her brother on the cheek and headed into her room.

Luke couldn't believe how grown up his sister had become. She was so snarky and sarcastic sometimes, but when it came down to it, she was wise, and kind and loving.

He took a step toward the door and knew that if he didn't read the letters, he would always wonder what Reid had said to him all those years ago.

When he pulled out the box, he shoved aside the receipts and pulled out the false bottom.

At the bottom of the box was his stack of letters rubber banded together.

He pulled out the first stack.

He put it on the bed next to him and just stared at the first letter that was sent.

The envelopes were now yellow, faded, and dusty from sitting unopened.

He cut the rubber band off the first stack and held the first letter in his hands.

He gently opened the envelope and pulled out the sheet of paper.

It was folded into quarters and only said Luke on the top layer.

His eyes filled with tears and he gasped aloud when he saw the three simple words written across the sheet of paper.


	19. Chapter 19

"I Love You."

He quickly opened up the next letter,

"I Forgive You."

He quickly tore open every letter up until the very last one. They said the same thing over and over alternating.

Luke had spent 16 years of his life hating himself, pretending to hate Reid, for nothing. His insecurities, weaknesses, and fears had kept him from forgiveness and love, and from being with the only man he had ever truly found acceptance.

He felt foolish, and small, and like a little boy.

The last letter was a package and Luke was unsure of what Reid had sent to him.

With trembling and shaking hands, he opened the package.

Inside he saw a letter and a cassette tape.

He dumped it on the bed.

He ran into his sisters room,

"Hey Faith, do you have something that plays cassette tapes?"

"Umm, no. I haven't listened to a cassette in like eight years."

"Damnit."

"Why do you need one?"

"Reid sent me a mix tape ."

"Try mom. She probably kept our walkmans."

"Yeah, thanks. I'll call her."

"Hey mom, do you know where my old Walkman is?"

"Maybe try your bedroom. Probably in the closet."

"Do you think you could look for me?"

"Honey, I have to take Ethan to the doctor and then shopping for clothes with Natalie. You're going to have come over yourself to find it. "

"But isn't Reid in my room now?"

"Yes, but all your old stuff is still in there. Just in boxes in the back of the closet."

"Fine. Do you know if he's there today?"

"No, he left early this morning."

"Great. I'll be over in a few minutes."

"Fine, but please be sure to lock up before you go."

Luke hadn't even been in room for five minutes when he heard a throat clearing behind him.

"What are you doing in the closet?"

"Very funny, Reid. I'm looking for something."

"You know you could've asked me to get it."

"Ehh, it's fine."

Luke finally found his walkman in the back and pulled it out.

"You were looking for your walkman?"

"Yeah, I was looking for a casette player."

Reid didn't say anything. He just arched any eyebrow, then stepped closer to the closet, pulled out his sneakers, and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Well, I'm going jogging. I take it you can let yourself out."

"Of course, Reid. This is still my parent's house and still my room."

Luke watched as Reid walked out of the room and down the steps.

As he walked outside he saw Reid running down the street.

He turned back to the walkman, and pulled out the casette tape from his pocket.

He sat on the front porch and hit play.

As he listened to the lyrics wash over him, he felt hot tears streaming down his face.

He opened up the final letter Reid had written to him.

Dear Luke,

Katie just told me you are graduating today with honors.I always knew you could do it.I am so proud of all you have accomplished. It's pretty clear to me know that as much as I love you and want to be with you, you don't feel the same way. I can't blame you for that, because the heart wants what it wants, and I can't make you love me. Looking back I can see now, that I wasn't as good of a boyfriend as I should've been, and that I should've been there for you instead of running off and thinking only of myself.I hope that your life is full and happy and that everything you dream comes true. I love you, and I'll always be here for you. Thank you for the privilege of getting to love you, even if only for a short while.

All My Love,

Reid

Luke sat there with a look of horror and disgust on his face. All of these years, Reid had blamed himself. Reid had thought he wasn't worthy of Luke's love and so he shut his heart off. Luke was crushed. He couldn't believe that something he had done or had not done, would have that profound an impact on someone else's life, and he hated it all the more, for the fact that it was Reid. The only man who he had ever loved. He had damaged him, broken him, and left him wondering what he had done wrong.

Luke finally hit play again on the last song.

Wish I could be the one

The one who could give you love

The kind of love you really need

Wish I could say to you

That I'll always stay with you

But baby that's not me

You need someone willing to give their heart and soul to you

Promise you forever, baby that's something I can't do

Oh I could say that I'll be all you need

But that would be a lie

I know I'd only hurt you

I know I'd only make you cry

I'm not the one you're needing

I love you, goodbye

Luke completely lost it then. He pulled his knees to his chest and wept. He was the reason Reid had gone from being loving, caring, and sensitive, to being cruel, hardhearted, and shut off. It was all his fault. He coudln't believe for a minute that he had done to Reid, what his father and life circumstances had done to him.

Steve and Katie had been right all along. He needed to set things straight once and for all with Reid. There was no denying his heart any longer. He still loved Reid, but he wasn't worth him or his love. He spent years making Reid feel like a loser and taking his love and care for granted. He had wasted so many years pretending to hate someone, because of fear, anger, and pride. He was foolish and stupid, and he hated himself in that moment more than any other.

He sat for a few minutes longer relistening to the songs and finally stood up.

He was going to talk to Reid in a few days, once he got his thoughts together. They'd sit down and have a nice, civil conversation, where Reid would accept his apology and thank him for the closure. Luke would sit there and take it and would not say a word about his continuing feelings for Reid. It was clear that Reid while he had never moved on to another man, had no furhter feelings of love or affection for him. So he would have to accept friendship and nothing more.


	20. Chapter 20

Luke wiped his eyes and put the last letter back in it's envelope.

He wasn't sure where to turn or where to go after everything had just happened.

He checked his watch to see that an hour had passed since Reid left, and he knew that Reid was most likely already at work.

He debated whether or not to call him and set up a time so they could talk, but with all the new information and uncertainty coursing through him at the moment, he knew he needed some time to gather his thoughts and feelings, before he tried to put them into words.

So he left a note on the front door.

Reid, meet me at 10 p.. - Luke

He figured Reid would see it when he got home,and he decided the best place for him was to be at home as well.

When he walked in the door, he saw Faith sitting at the island in the kitchen eating a bagel and reading a magazine.

"Hey, Faith."

Faith finished her last bite and slowly turned to look at him.

"So, do you want to tell me what the hell that was about?"

"What are you talking about?"

Luke tried to feign innocence.

"Don't pull that crap with me, Luke. You ran out of here this morning like you were on fire."

"Nothing is going, Faith. I read the letters and now it's time to move on."

"They were bad, huh?"

"No, actually they weren't. He told me he loved me and that he forgave me. But it was 16 years ago, Faith. He has clearly moved on, and it's time I do the same."

"Wait, what?"

Just then Luke realized no one, outside of Katie, knew why Reid and Luke had actually broken up. Luke had always told them Reid decided he wanted to be alone when he went off to college."

"Uhh, nothing?"

"Why did he have to forgive you, Luke?"

Luke sighed, squared his shoulders and motioned Faith over to sit next to him on the couch.

"I did something pretty bad back when I was drinking."

"Which was?"

"I cheated on Reid, with Kevin."

"You mean, the Kevin that is now married to former Miss Oakdale and with whom he has six children?"

"Yep, that would be him."

"Oh my god."

Faith was silent for a bit, and Luke watched the emotions running across her face.

"So, what you're telling me is that you are no better than our mother, or my husband? You all cheat and then expect the people you supposedly love to just forgive you and pretend it never happened?"

"Clearly that's not what happened with me and Reid."

"You and Reid are so in love with each other still, even despite your wandering eye."

"Faith, it really wasn't like that."

"Well then what was it like?"

"I was upset, besides it was only a blow job."

"Only a blow job. Do you even hear yourself talk? Cheating is cheating, Luke. Whether it be emotionally or physically. You crossed a line and you broke the trust and love that you had with Reid. You did that."

"I know, Faith. You think I'm not aware? That I haven't regretted my actions of that night every day for 16 years? Because I do, Faith. Every damn day, I wake up and realize what a moron I was and that I lost the best thing to ever happen in my life."

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing. There is nothing left to do."

"You know, if Max said what you said right now, I'd take him back in a heartbeat, but Max and I aren't Luke and Reid. We aren't soulmates or the love of a lifetime, and you are wasting your life in misery, because you are too damn stubborn to admit to Reid that you are still in love with him and that you want him back."

"Faith, I can't just..."

"Yes, you can just. "

Luke sighed and put his head on his arms.

"Why does love have to be so damn complicated?"

"Because men are involved."

Faith got up then and headed to her bedroom.

"I'm going to the park to take some more pictures, you look like shit. Take a nap and a shower and think about what I said."

Luke just groaned and dragged himself to his room.

The letters were still on his bed.

He moved the pile over to the other side and flopped onto the bed.

He was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

He was dreaming about the Christmas of his junior year.

His parents had received a card from The Oliver family.

In it was Kennedy, Reid, Emily and Richard Oliver. Luke stole the card from the pile and stared at it every day of his Christmas break. Reid had a slight smile on his face and Luke pretended Reid was smiling because of something he said.

Two days later he was outside making snow angels with Faith, when he turned the corner he saw a male figure walking down the driveway.

He knew immediately it was Reid and nearly called out his name.

Instead he saw him turn and walk down the street away from him, and once again out of his life.

Luke watched him walk away until he disappeared in the December evening.

He finally turned to the front porch.

There was a small package sitting there.

Luke picked it up to see his name scrawled across the top.

He smiled at Reid's chicken scratch he called handwriting.

He opened the box to discover a brand new leather bound journal and fancy gold fountain pens.

A simple note was sitting on the top.

I bought this for you back when we were in Chicago. I found it the other night when I was cleaning out my room here. I figured I would never use it. Go for your dreams, deserve nothing but the best.

All my love,

Reid

Luke awoke with a start.

He headed to his dresser drawer and opened up the bottom shelf.

He pushed aside his swim trunks, and old sweaters. He pulled the dusty journal out from beneath it's hiding place, and dusted the cover off.

He opened it. He hadn't looked at the journal in years.

He remembered the night he got it, and just held it in his hands for hours, knowing that Reid's hands had touched them recently.

He eventually picked up one of the pens.

He looked at the blank pages and finally put pen to paper.

There are so many things I need to say...

Those were the only words he got out.

He couldn't write. He had nothing left to say.

He finally stopped trying.

He put the journal away and threw himself into school.

When it came time for him to look at schools he chose one as far away as possible, without being too far.

He ended up at the University of Iowa in Journalism.

He never had a problem dealing with the facts. So it quickly became his only outlet in which he could write.

He eventually worked up the ranks to junior editor of the school newspaper, to editor in chief.

When he graduated, his biological father Damian, gave him the Oakdaily, which he had purchased because he was so proud of his son.

Luke wanted nothing to do with Damian, and for two years struggled as a freelancer for the Chicago Times. Finally, after being unable to pay back his student loans, took the job from his father.

That lasted for about six years, when his father died suddenly in a freak boating accident off the coast of Malta.

Luke was left Damian's entire fortune, a shipping company, and an island.

It was true that Luke Snyder was a very wealthy man, but he never flaunted it.

He set up a foundation with some of the money so he could help send children to college. The beneficiaries were all workers in the shipping company or the newspaper.

Now four years later, he had sent over 30 students to school on full ride scholarships, his newspaper was thriving, and the shipping company was running better than it ever had before.

His mother often told him how proud she was, and how much he took after his father.

Luke always hated to hear that, because even as much as Luke respected his father as a shrewd businessman, he hated how he treated his employees and those around him.

He liked to think he was more like Holden, who was more of a father, than Damian Grimaldi ever was.

Luke looked back at the journal again.

He saw the note sticking out from one of the pages and read it again.

He felt horrible knowing he had never followed his dream of being a writer.

He sat back down on the bed and picked up a pen.

His only thought was of talking to Reid.

So he told him about the time that he tried to teach Faith how to drive the loader tractor on the farm,but instead ending up putting it in Snyder Pond.

And the time he met Stevie Nicks at a concert and nearly burst into tears.

He told him about taking Katie to his proms and how he'd check the door the entire evening hoping to see Reid come through the door and surprise him.

Before he knew it, he had filled up sixteen pages of random crap,Luke had wanted to tell Reid over the years.

When he was done he was exhausted again.

So he shut the journal, lay back on the bed, and fell asleep again.

This time his sleep was dreamless, and when his phone started ringing a few hours later, he felt refreshed and invigorated again.

"Hey, this is Luke."

"Luke, it's Reid. I'm not meeting you at 10 p.m., tonight."

"But, you promised."


	21. Chapter 21

"I'm sorry, Luke, but I do have a thing called a job. And seeing as Chris is still out of the rotation recovering from being poisoned, I have to cover his rounds."

"Really, you the chief of staff at Oakdale Memorial, have to cover rounds. I have a hard time believing that you would willingly go on another doctor's rounds."

"Well believe it or not, Luke, and frankly I don't care if you do, I like my job. I like going on rounds, I like medicine. So yeah, I'll go on rounds and practice medicine whenever it is needed of me. I take the Hippocratic oath very seriously."

"So what you are saying is that you are flaking out on me and I need to go by myself?"

"No, Luke. What I'm saying is that I cannot make it tonight, because I'm on call and I'm covering Chris's rotation, but I will be off all day tomorrow, so we can do it then."

"Right, as long as you don't call me with another bullshit reason why you can't go."

"Luke, what the hell? This is the first time I had to tell you I couldn't do something, grow up. Sometimes things don't work out like we think they will, and as adults we learn to deal with that. "

"Whatever. What time tomorrow can you meet?"

"Well you owe me a second dinner, so seven at the Lakeview."

"Fine, but this time you are not ordering a $750 bottle of wine. You drank half a glass and decided you hated it."

"I didn't hate it, Luke. I just like to see you pissed off."

"Well then you should be a very happy person right about now."

"You would think, but I can't really see your anger, just hear it .So it's sort of bittersweet."

"Good to know. Well, I'll let you get back to the multitude of sick people."

"Maybe you should go see if your mom will take you to the park and buy you some ice-cream and a balloon to cheer you up."

"You're an ass."

"The biggest."

With that, Reid hung up the phone.

Luke just shook his head. How damn annoying could one person be? Apparently, very damn annoying.

He threw his phone in his jacket pocket and headed outdoors. The cool October breeze felt good on his skin and he enjoyed being outdoors.

He was really irritated and frustrated and what he could really use was some advice.

So he headed to the only place he could think of.

He drove with his windows down and as he turned off the road onto the gravel path he enjoyed the site of the leaves turning.

He drove up the lane and saw his father outside working on chopping wood.

He pulled his car up to the old farmhouse and got out of his car.

"Hey, dad."

"Luke! It's good to see you. What brings you to the farm?"

"I just wanted to talk. That is, if you aren't too busy."

"I'm never too busy for my children."

"I have a question for you."

"Shoot."

Holden handed Luke a pile of wood and Luke started stacking.

"How did you forgive mom when she cheated on you with Damian?"

"Where is this coming from?"

"I just want to know if it's possible. You know, to forgive when someone hurts you as deeply as mom did and like I did to Reid."

"Let me tell you, it wasn't easy. It took a lot of years to get over the hurt and betrayal that I felt. But, one day I woke up and realized that the emptiness and loneliness I felt was worse than the feeling of hurt and betrayal. I tried to fill that void with other relationships, but I never felt complete. I had a choice. To forgive and try to build something new with Lily, or to not forgive and go through life miserable. So I forgave. It was a conscious choice, and believe me it wasn't an easy one. There were many times that feeling of betrayal and hurt would creep back up, but I still chose to look past it. "

"So you think it's possible?"

"I think all people value things differently. Just because I was able to forgive your mother, does not mean that all people would be able to. I'm not telling you this to be cruel or mean, but there is no way I can guarantee that your situation will be the same as your mother's and mine. Reid is the only one who can give you the answer you're looking for. "

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't give me that, Luke. I am not just some random friend. I am your father."

Luke sighed,

"I just want to know how to fix it."

"Why are you so desperate to fix it, Luke? Are you in love with him?"

"I never stopped."

"Well, at least we're finally getting somewhere. You're finally admitting to having a heart."

"I just want things to be better between us. I want to be able to talk to him and not leave feeling as if we've just had another battle or war. I'm tired of wounding him and getting wounded. I just want at the least to be friends."

"Is that enough for you, Luke? For you to be friends? What if that is all you ever end up being?"

"I want him in my life. So, if friendship is the only way, then I'd have to learn to be okay with it."

"So there. You have your answers. Be friendly to him, be civilized, and start bridging the gap. Your mother started out small too. She was around enough for me to realize she wasn't leaving, but not enough that I never had any time to process my feelings or know what it was like to be apart from her. She wasn't pushy or forceful; she was just always there.

"But what if he doesn't forgive me? What if he doesn't even want to be friends? What then?"

"Are you really worried that he won't forgive you, or that the won't realize how much he still loves you and take you back? You can't force anyone to love you, forgive you, or really do anything when it comes to the matters of the heart, Luke. If Reid doesn't want to forgive you or be in your life, then you should prepare yourself for a life without him in it. But if you are worried you won't end up together, then you need to reevaluate your true feelings and priorities. Either you're satisfied with Reid only as a friend or you can do no less than a romantic relationship. You have to decide, because you do deserve to be happy, Luke. And if not being with Reid is going to cause your unhappiness, trying to push a friendship on him is unfair to both of you.

"I honestly don't know."

"Maybe it's time for you to find out and quit hiding behind your fear of the unknown."

"But how do I do that?"

"Take your journal. Go to the most serene and calm place you know. Write. List all the feelings that come to mind when you think of Reid. They can be good, bad, and ambivalent. Then imagine your life without all of those feelings, never knowing that experience of him. What do you feel? Write it all down. Put those feelings into words. You will have your answer one-way or the other. Either you can live a happy, fulfilled life without him in it, or you can't. It's up to you to decide how to proceed."

"So in other words, I have to do it all on my own with no input or advice from you."

"I'm not trying to be unhelpful, Luke. What I'm trying to do is prepare you. You can't hide behind other people anymore. You are the one to make poor choices. It's important that you take responsibility for your own actions and to acknowledge that your own actions led to or contributed to the problem."

"I get it, okay? I know that I am the reason Reid and I broke up, I'm the reason Reid never moved on, and that everything thinks I'm a horrible human being!"

"There is no need to play the martyr, Luke. Yes, you made some poor choices, but Reid is his own person. He is just as responsible for his own actions as you are for yours. No one forced him to remain single, and no one thinks you are a horrible human being. Those are all excuses for people to feel sorry for you, and Luke, no one likes a pity party."

Luke new his dad was right, but didn't want to admit defeat.

He pouted for a bit.

Holden moved to where Luke was standing and placed his hand on Luke's shoulder.

"I love you, Luke, but it's time to grow up and deal with this like an adult. You'll thank me for it later, trust me."

Holden grabbed his axe then and headed toward the barn.

Luke sat on the pile of wood they just chopped and thought about everything his dad had just said.

Luke walked into the farmhouse then.

Emma was standing at the oven placing cookie dough on sheets.

"Hey grandma!"

"Luke! It's so good to see you. What brings you to the farm?"

"Oh, I just stopped to see my dad. Needed some advice."

"Well, I'm glad you stopped to say hi to your old grandma before you left."

"Of course, I would. Plus, I was hoping there'd be cookies."

"Hoping? You know there are always cookies."

Luke grinned and grabbed the stack of cookies Emma held out to him.

He poured himself some milk and stood at the counter watching her.

"So, Luke. How's life? I haven't talked to you in months."

"Not bad. I keep pretty busy at work with the shipping company, foundation, and the newspaper."

"Yes, Holden keeps me up to date with your life. Speaking of which, how's the love life?"

Luke nearly choked on his cookie then. He stared warily at her, but Emma seemed oblivious to his reaction.

"Nonexistent, why?"

"I heard about that good looking doctor friend of yours."

"What about him?"

"According to your parents he's very important in your life."

"No, he's important to my mother, who thinks Reid should be important to me."

"So why did you have that reaction when I mentioned him? Your eyes lit up as soon as I said anything. So you really expect me to believe he's not important to you?"

"No. At this point, I don't even know what I feel for him. It's all confusing and conflicted, and as soon as I'm done here, I'm going to go somewhere and sort all of them out."

"I hope you do. You deserve happiness, Luke."

"Thanks, Grandma."

Emma kissed him on the cheek, handed him a Ziploc bag of cookies and sent him on his way.

As Luke drove down the driveway he tried to imagine the place where he always felt peace and calm. He thought of Snyder Pond, but knew that Faith and her friends were most likely there hanging out, and he thought of the park, but far too many people would be there on a gorgeous afternoon in October. Then he thought of a place he hadn't been in over a year, a place where he could be left alone with his thoughts. "

He drove the few miles to the edge of town and around the curving paths. He finally pulled his car off to the side of one of them and stepped out.

He looked around and saw no one there. He pulled his journal and favorite pen out of his glove compartment and walked up the grassy hill.

He finally spotted the oak tree, which was busy shedding leaves and walked toward it.

He stooped down to brush leaves away and moved brush and dead flowers off to the side.

He sat down and looked. Truly looked for the first time in a year. He reached out brushed the cool stone.


	22. Chapter 22

"Hey, Adam. I know it's been awhile. I miss you. I promise that once life settles down and I'm not so busy, I'll visit more often."

Deep down Luke knew that wasn't true though and he felt like a horrible person.

He stared at the headstone.

Adam Theodore Harper

June 15, 1974- February 13, 2008

To live in the hearts of those who loved you, is to never really die

Luke was the one to insist on an epitaph, when Adam's parents refused to attend the funeral.

"God, I miss you every day."

And it was true. Luke did miss Adam. The man that had taught Luke how to live every day as if it was your last one. It rang especially true when Adam died suddenly from a brain aneurism.

They had dated on and off for years since college and when Luke turned 29, they broke up for good. However, they remained friends though. The day before Valentine's Day, they had met at Java's for coffee. They were in the middle of arguing over who played the better Eponine in Broadway's Les Miserables, when Adam slumped over and died.

Luke was devastated. They had broken up five months prior when Adam knew that Luke and he would never be anything more than casual. Luke couldn't get over Reid and couldn't give Adam his whole heart. Luke tried to convince himself and Adam that he was over Reid and for about a week, Luke really believed it. Then Katie called Luke and told him about Reid winning another award, and for the next two weeks all Luke could talk about or think about was Reid. Adam finally had enough and left. But they still hung out nearly every day and did all the things normal couples do, except have sex.

After a few months of that, Adam couldn't handle it, and so he decided to move to New Mexico for his job. He invited Luke to coffee to tell him that morning, and at 10:53, Adam died.

He thought if only he hadn't been so stubborn, and so selfish, Adam would have never died.

He attended the funeral three days later. Adam's parents, from whom he was estranged, refused to attend or pay for any arrangements. So Luke took care of it. All of their close friends and other family attended, including Luke's parents. They had always had a soft spot in their heart for Adam, because he treated Luke well. That afternoon at the small house gathering a young man about twenty five came up to Luke. He introduced himself as Brandon. He told him that he and Adam had dated on and off for a few years whenever he and Luke broke up, but Adam would always leave him whenever Luke made it seem that he wanted Adam, and how lucky Luke was to have Adam's love, because while he got everything else, he never got that.

Luke felt horrible. He had taken away another person's chance at love because he had been selfish. He felt bad for doing it to Adam, who in turn did it to Brandon.

Luke sat in silence with tears splashing down his cheeks and on to the ground.

It would be three years in five months of that anniversary of his death. In those three years, Luke had kept none of the promises he made to Adam when they were together.

He never tried to get the manuscript he wrote in college published, he never took the trip to Alaska to see the northern lights up close, and he never told Reid how he felt. Adam had always known what Luke felt for Reid, and when they were breaking up for good the final time, Adam told Luke, "You know if I'm giving you up, I want to know that it's for a good reason. For true love. Tell Reid how you feel, at least take that chance on happiness, Luke. If it's not meant to be, then maybe you'll see how great we truly are and you'll come back to me, but if it is, then you'll have the love of your life, and I'll be happy seeing you happy."

And Luke never did.

"I'm sorry, Adam. For everything. For not keeping my promises, for not opening my heart up to you while you were still alive, for ever making you feel like you weren't good enough and that your love wasn't good enough, and for never saying these things to you when you were still alive. I miss you. I miss your smile and the crazy ass things you always convinced me to do because we were only young once. I wanted to tell Reid how I felt about him, but I just couldn't after you died. It took me months to even think about him without feeling guilty, like if I thought about him I was diminishing you. You were special to me, and I didn't know how to reconcile your death to my feelings for another man."

Suddenly he felt the cool autumn breeze pick up. He looked around to see vibrant red, yellow, and orange leaves dancing on the wind. One particularly bright red leaf fluttered down and landed on Luke's lap. He picked it up and noticed how unique it was and beautiful. He knew it was Adam's way of saying that he forgave him and letting him know he was okay and that it was okay to admit to his feelings for Reid.

Luke heard a card pull up behind him. He turned to see Katie get out of the car. She had a bouquet of flowers in her hands. She walked past him a few feet and went to a grave. She knelt down and kissed the headstone and placed the fresh flowers on it.

Luke felt bad for watching something so private and personal.

He couldn't imagine burying a spouse. Reid. The thought terrified him and shook him to the core. Reid couldn't die. He couldn't bury another person he loved.

He started to leave then, when Katie stopped him.

"Luke, wait."

Luke stopped and turned around.

"Come over here."

Luke went over and looked at the headstone.

"I can't believe it's been nearly seven years since he's been gone."

"Me either."

"Does it ever get easier?"

"Honestly? Not one day goes by where I don't think about Brad or remember something funny he said or did, and I go to call him or text him, and I remember he's gone. But I don't fall apart each time like I used to. Life still goes on, the world keeps turning, and I still have living people who need me. Brad wouldn't want me to waste my years left of life pining after him and knowing I shut myself off from being happy and finding love again. He cherished life when he was still living, so no, it never gets easier, but it does become less painful."

"I often come across things like scuba diving lessons that I am sure Adam would love and I go to call him, and it hits me that he will never do anything like that again. And he and I weren't even together, or shared the kind of love that you and Brad did, and yet I shatter each and every time. It makes me feel guilty, like I'm being selfish or something for having that kind of reaction to his death."

"Oh, Luke. Why do you insist on lying to yourself? "

"What do you mean?"  
"For some odd reason, you refuse to just accept the truth. You loved Adam. It's possible for you to love more than one man at a time, and you did. I've done it. You remember my first husband, Simon? Simon was and will always be my soul mate. I loved him more than just about anyone or anything in my entire life. I still do love him. Of course I'm not in love with him anymore, but my love for him, that won't ever change. Even through Jack, Brad, and now Chris, my love for Simon has remained. Brad was the love of my life. The man who showed me what true love was like. The man I envisioned spending the rest of my life with, but life had other plans. Then came along sweet, beautiful Chris. He helped me heal and move on and I fell in love with him. He knew about my love for Simon, and that a piece of my heart will always be with Brad. He didn't care. I love three men, Luke, all for very different reasons, but my love for Brad and Simon doesn't diminish my love for Chris. I am in love with Chris, and only him, but my love for Simon and Brad will always be a part of who I am. It's okay for you to admit to yourself that you loved Adam and that you still do. You were with him for over eight years, Luke. It doesn't mean you love Reid any less, what you feel for Reid is what I felt for Simon and Brad combined. Reid is not only the love of your life, but he's also your soul mate. I think that was evident from the beginning. Not many people find that "perfect" love, but you and Reid did. You have a real shot at being with your soul mate and the love of your life. Just please, Luke. Please don't waste any more time not being with someone you love, because you are stubborn and scared."

"That sounds good on paper, but if I admit to Reid that I loved Adam, I feel as if I'm admitting that I didn't love Reid as much he loved me. And if I admit to being in love with Reid, I cheapen Adam's death."

"Let me make this easier, Luke. I shouldn't be violating my friendship rule here, but you need to hear this. When I said that Reid never moved on, I mean he never gave his heart away again. He never fell in love. He never loved anyone the way he loved you, but he had two serious relationships, Luke.

Their names were Alex and Jack. Alex was his med school boyfriend. They dated for four years. Reid never fully committed though. He always had hope that you and he would reconcile, and I was the one to convince him to start writing letters to you, in your junior year. But when you never responded, he gave up. He told Alex he loved him and they moved into an apartment together. One night about a year after he graduated, your freshmen year in college, Alex proposed to Reid. Reid called me in a panic, and I knew then and there, he wasn't over you and he wasn't ready to get married. He admitted to me he couldn't do it, because he never loved anyone like he loved you and the only man he ever wanted to commit to was you. So he left Alex.

He moved into an apartment in Burlington, and started med school. When he was there, he got assigned to a particularly bad neurology case as an intern. Her name was Annie, and she was six. For two years, Reid worked on her case with the attending and the team of neurologists who tried to help Annie beat the odds. But when she was eight years old, she passed away from brain cancer. It devastated him. It took him a lot of years to get over that. He was convinced that he ruined anything he touched. You first, and then Annie.

He nearly gave up medicine, until he met Jack. Reid had just gotten his first attending position as neurologist, when Jack arrived from Borneo. He had been living there for a few years doing medical campaigns and teaching the native islanders about heart health. He was considered a top doctor in his field and he knew it. When he first arrived he and Reid butted heads big time, almost as bad as when you and Reid butted heads. Jack challenged Reid though and got him out of his funk. It wasn't long before sparks were flying and Reid and Jack had started a relationship. Reid slowly started to become the man you and I knew before everything went bad. He was smiling again, being his usually snarky and funny self, and I whole heartedly approved of the relationship. I thought maybe it would finally help Reid get over you. They dated for almost six years.

Then one Christmas, Reid finally came home. I was so excited because I hadn't seen him in months since I went there for the summer. He brought Jack with him. Let me tell you, he could've been a doppelgänger to Julian McMahon. He was gorgeous and sweet and funny, and had I been a gay man, Reid would've had a fight on his hands. The fact that Reid even brought anyone home was a big deal.

You know how his mother is. Well Emily was usual rude self and basically called Jack a trifling gold digger. That coupled with the fact that Reid was going through old boxes in his room and found a journal and pens and he sat and stared at them for hours before he finally gave them to his sister to wrap for him, didn't spell a good holiday for Jack and Reid. That was the night Jack found out about you. When they arrived back in Burlington, Jack left Reid. When Reid found out it was because of his parent's homophobia, he blasted into Emily. Emily eventually apologized to Jack a few days later, but then Reid found out the real reason Jack left.

Your families had a Christmas party in which you both attended. Jack basically had to spend the entire night watching you two watch each other longingly from across the room and if you happened to get within a few of each other, Reid would have a physical reaction. There was always a light in his eyes when you would say something to him or even when you entered the room. Jack knew then and there, without even being told that Reid would always be in love with you. Not just "love" you, but deep, abiding, head over heels love that is all consuming, desperate, and unending.

The kind I will always feel for Brad. The difference between me and Reid is that Chris knows I can't do anything about my love for Brad, and even as much as I love Brad, I am in love with Chris. But, with you and Reid, you are still in love with each other. No one stands a chance coming between that love. There is always the chance that you and Reid will finally wake up and realize how much you do love each other and you'll get back together. No one wants to take that chance. It's not fair to anyone else to try and use them to cover up your feelings for Reid. They won't ever go away. You can try and deny it, but eventually you will have to admit that there is no one else for you, but Reid. Or you can spend your life miserable and alone, until you are on your death bed, having wasted your entire life. But you won't do that. You are going to find Reid and tell him that you love him and want to spend the rest of your life with him, and then you two will spend the rest of your lives wondering why you wasted nearly twenty years apart.

You of all people should know not to waste any time in this life, we are not guaranteed tomorrow, Luke. So tell Reid about your conflicting feelings, about how you feel guilty for loving him and Adam. Just tell him."

"You really think he wants to hear about my love for Adam?"

"He already knows, Luke. The week after his funeral Lily called him and told him how heartbroken you were and asked him to come home."

"What?"  
"But, Reid was convinced he was the last thing you needed or wanted. He thought you truly were over him, that you wanted nothing to do with him, and he really only wanted you to be happy. So he stayed away, but he knew about Adam. He asked me once what Adam was like and if he was good for you, and when I said that he was, he said 'Good, because Luke deserves to be happy.' He loved you, Luke. He was okay with you moving on and finding happiness. But what Reid doesn't know is how you really feel about him. As far as he knows, you read his letters and decided he wasn't good enough, and that you really don't care for him at all, considering you accused him of being the murderer. He needs to hear what you truly feel, Luke. It's the only way for you two to move past all the angst, bitterness, and hurt."

"I hear you, I real do, but I think it's going to take more than simply talking to fix things between Reid and me."

"You're right, it will. It will take wooing on your part, and a lot of it, plus food, and probably even sex."

Luke blushed bright red at the mention of sex. It had been far too long.

"Just think about what I said, Luke. I'd hate for you to go through life miserable and alone when you have a chance at a great life with the love of your life. You don't know what I would've done for just one more day, one more kiss, one more I love you from Brad. Don't waste your opportunities to be with Reid. You don't know when they'll be gone."

With that Katie kissed him on the cheek and headed back towards her car.

"Come to dinner tomorrow night. I'm making lasagna!"

"I'm supposed to take Reid to dinner at the Lakeview. I owe him."

"Don't worry; I'll convince Reid to eat at my place. He loves my lasagna."

"Let me know when you do that."

Katie waved at him before slipping in her car and driving away.


	23. Chapter 23

He sat back down on the grass and watched her leave. He pulled his journal out and started writing. About why he couldn't give up Reid even when he was in a relationship with another man.

It was as if part of himself was missing. He felt incomplete without Reid. Thinking about him, and holding on to those memories was the only solace, the only comfort he felt most days. They filled the Reid shaped hole in his heart. He couldn't give that up. If he did, he might die from the overwhelming feeling of emptiness.

He already had a Adam shaped hole that would never be filled, and there was no way he could deal with having a completely empty heart, considering Reid filled every part, every crack, that wasn't already held by someone else.

He wrote about how Adam had changed his life in a deep and profound way. He wasn't fighting it anymore. He loved Adam, and would never stop missing him or wishing he had one more day to tell him all the things he never got a chance to. But Reid, Reid was the man who he had always loved and wanted. His love for Reid never waned, never went away, and never changed. Even when they fought and were separated by distance, and time, Luke loved him. Loving Reid was like breathing. It was second nature. He didn't have to think about it, it was subconscious and as if it was ingrained in every part of his being from his mind to his body to his soul. Not doing it wasn't an option, because it was part of who he was.

Of course everyone had been right. He was still in love with Reid Oliver, and any denial of that unwavering truth, was Luke's pathetic and futile attempt at shutting off his heart. Of course he loved Reid. There was never any doubt, only lies.

With that sudden epiphany he looked up to see a giant monarch butterfly land on Brad's headstone. It was a sign. A sign of new life, new beginnings, coming through trials and tribulations, stronger and completely transformed. The beauty of that moment enveloped Luke. For the first time in years he felt peace and pure, unadulterated joy.

Luke wept; tears of joy and release. All of the emotions and feelings he had buried deep inside over the years, not believing he had the right to feel them or express them, came to the surface. After years of self-loathing and hatred he was finally set free. The only thing holding him back from a perfect life was not knowing where he stood with Reid. He was and had always been in love with him, but what Reid felt for him now was a mystery, but he was determined to find out.

He stood up brushed his eyes, and pant legs and thanked Brad and Adam for the signs. He felt like he was ready to conquer the world, but he was also starving. So he went off in search of food.

He entered Al's to see Alison and Casey sitting at a booth.

"Hey, guys!"  
"Luciano!"

Casey waved him over and he slid in beside him. After stealing some fries off his plate, he turned to Alison.

"Hey, Ali!"

"Hey, Luke. How's life?"  
"Not bad. Had a pretty good day in fact."

"You know, I was just gonna say. You don't look like shit today. So that's an improvement."

"Thanks for that, Casey."

"Hey, I'm your best friend. I am just looking out for you."

"Speaking of friends, where is Amber?"

Casey grimaced at the mention of her name.

"What?"

"She refuses to quit working or to take any breaks, man. Every time I go over there to ask if she wants to get dinner or maybe to go home and take a shower, she insists that she is working on something very important and must not leave her desk. I take food and coffee over there every day, but it's getting really old. And dude, since you're her boss and all, it's totally uncool to keep her working all day every day, just because you're jealous that I'm getting laid and you're not."

"Casey!"

Alison's look of disapproval and apparent ire nearly made Luke choke on dr. pepper from laughter.

"What? It's a legitimate question!"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Casey, but, I have nothing to do with this. I haven't even been into the newspaper in days. And when have you ever known me to force anyone to work twenty four seven?"

"See, I told you, Casey!"

"Told him what?"

"Alison is under the impression that Amber just doesn't want to be with me anymore, so she is using work as an excuse to not be with me, hoping I'll take the hint and that I'll end it so she doesn't have to."

"I'm fairly certain that is not that case, Casey. I'm going in later today to do some paperwork, so I'll definitely talk to her."

"Just don't make it sound like I'm pathetic or desperate though."

"Of course not. You do that so well on your own anyways, you need no help in that area."

"You are hilarious. You should definitely be a stand-up comedian."  
"You know, that's a good idea. With you as a friend, I'd never run out of material for my act."

Casey punched him in the arm and Luke just laughed.

Talk turned to the World Series that was just starting. They talked baseball and OU's college football team for a bit. Alison excused herself and thanked Luke for lunch.

Luke watched as Alison left, waved at them through the window and disappeared into the parking lot.

As soon as she was out of sight, Luke turned to Casey.

"What the hell is wrong with you, dude?"

"What are you talking about?"

"She is still in love with you!"

"Who? Ali?"

"Yeah, Ali. The girl you invited to lunch, since Amber stayed at work. You're ex-girlfriend, Ali. The one you almost married, twice."

"Whatever. She is not in love with me."

"I'm telling you, Casey, Alison is very much still in love with you. Her reaction when anyone talks about Amber is telling enough, but when she tried to convince you that Amber wanted to break up with you? Classic signs if ever there were any, that someone is not over their ex."

"You are such a drama queen. Just because you never got over Reid, doesn't mean everyone is the same way. Quit obsessing over my love life and get laid!"  
"Don't say I didn't warn you, when you have a cat fight on your hands."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."  
"You're disgusting."

"No, I'm a man. Don't even pretend that you would not absolutely love it if Reid and another man got into a fight over you."  
"Well, seeing as that is not even a remote possibility, I'm not even going to entertain that thought."

"You totally should though, cause it's kinda completely hot."

Luke just rolled his eyes.

"I'll take that as agreement."

"Ambivalence is not agreement, Casey."

"Close enough for me."

"No wonder Amber doesn't want to spend any time with you. You are infuriating!"

"Low blow, Luke. Low blow."

"You deserved it."

"Maybe."

"Don't worry, Casey. I won't tell Amber that secretly you want to watch her and Ali in a cat fight over you, when I talk to her later. "

"Thanks for that. "

"Believe me, it's hard, but friendship rules trump seeing you get your ass beat by two women."

"What a great friend you are."

Luke just laughed. He threw some bills on the table, took one last swig of his Dr. Pepper and headed out the door.

"You should have your girlfriend home by tonight."

"I should go stock up on condoms."

"Eww, Casey. Save that talk for the bedroom."

Casey just grinned and waved goodbye to him.

Luke stepped into the chill and pulled his jacket tight around him.

He walked to his car, ready to get to the newspaper and to work.

He saw a piece of paper sticking from under one of the wiper blades.

Maybe you should spend more time concerned with the wellbeing of your friends, and less time messing in affairs that are none of your business.

Luke's head shot up and his heart jumped in his throat. He immediately pulled his phone out of his pocket.

He sent a universal message to everyone on his list.

Hey, this is Luke. I know this sounds totally weird, but please send me a text when you get this letting me know that you are okay.

Luke headed to the newspaper then. When he arrived he had received a response from everyone on that list. Except for Alison, Amber, and Reid.


	24. Chapter 24

Luke immediately felt guilty for worrying more about Reid than either Alison or Amber. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to any of them, but truth be told, he didn't think he'd survive if something happened to Reid.

He immediately headed to the hospital. Maybe Reid was ignoring his text and he really was okay. He'd take that over the worse alternative.

As he walked into the hospital he felt an overwhelming urge to burst into tears. He rounded the corner and ended up at the nurses' station.

Alison was nowhere to be seen.

Just as he was ready to give up, Casey rounded the corner.

"Hey, I didn't expect to see you so soon. What are you doing at the hospital?"

"I was looking for Reid and for Alison."

"Well, both of them are in surgery right now."

"Seriously?"  
"Yeah, we had a neuro trauma come in about twenty minutes ago, Reid and Alison were immediately called in."

"Oh thank God."

"That's a very strange reaction to that news, Luke."

"No, I'm just relieved they are both okay."

"Why wouldn't they be?"

"Umm, no reason. Hey, I'm gonna go see Amber now. I'll talk to you later."

"Is this another of those, you can't know about this things?"

"Really, Casey, it's nothing. I'll talk to you later."

Luke purposely took the long way through the hospital and snuck into the surgical wing. He peered in to the operating room to see Reid and Alison both hard at work. He was relieved. He thought he had been caught when Reid looked up and looked directly at him, but if Reid had seen him he never indicated.

Luke headed for the newspaper then more hopeful than he had been just a half hour earlier.

When he stepped into the newspaper it was as if time stood still.

It was very quiet with only a few people on the floor.

He headed to Amber's cubicle then, hoping that just once she had followed directions and had taken it easy and actually tried to stay safe.

Instead when he arrived he saw a note on her desk.

"Hey boss. I knew you'd come looking for me today. Just wanted to say that I'm okay. I'm meeting with a potential lead for the case, and I promise I'm taking back up. Danny came with me."

Luke scoffed. Danny was the inept 15-year-old son of Emily Stewart. He knew next to nothing about reporting and even less about being a good worker. And Amber had taken him with her as backup. What the hell was he going to do? Scream like a little girl and run away?

Luke immediately called Amber's cell phone.

"Amber, what in the world are you thinking? Is there some innate reason why you choose to ignore me or anyone else who loves you, when they say BE CAREFUL? What part of going to meet some potential lead, when people working on the case are getting murdered, sounded like it would be a good idea? And taking Danny to help? SERIOUSLY? Don't bother getting back to me, since YOU'RE FIRED!"

Luke hung up the phone and threw it across the room. It bounced against the wall and landed at his feet. He was furious and scared and he really hated feeling like he had no control in a situation.

He finally calmed down and picked his phone up again.

"Okay that last message may have been a bit harsh, but Amber, really, you are the most infuriating friend and employee I've ever had. You're not fired, but I'm telling you that if you let yourself get killed, I'm following you into the afterlife to kick your ass and fire you there! Call me, text me, send me a smoke signal, just let me know that you're okay."

Luke hung the phone up then and went back to work. He hadn't been around for a while, and he had calls to return, stories to write, and budgets to balance.

By the time he noticed what time it was, five hours had passed.

His cell phone buzzed,

Hey, Luke, we're eating in 20 minutes, get over here. - K

Luke rubbed his eyes. He had completely forgotten about dinner at Katie's.

Damn.

He needed to tell Reid that they weren't eating at the Lakeview.

He debated whether sending a text or a voicemail.

He finally picked up the phone.

"Hey Reid, I figure you're probably screening my calls, but just wanted to let you know that Katie invited me over for dinner tonight for lasagna. So that means we'll just meet there and go to the police station afterwards."

He hung up the phone then and headed home for a shower and to shave.

He was just putting on cologne when his phone rang.

"This is Luke."

"Luke, I got your message. Just so you know, you are not off the hook. We are still doing the steak and lobster dinner at the Lakeview. I'll see you at Katie's in a few."

With that Reid hung up the phone.

Luke just stared at the phone in his hand in shock.

He really did not understand Reid. One minute he was acting as if spending time with Luke was the worst possible thing he could do, and then he was looking for ways to spend time with him.

Luke just shook his head, fixed his hair in the mirror one last time and headed for the door.

He had a feeling that tonight was going to be very interesting.

Little did he know, just how interesting the night would get.


	25. Chapter 25

Luke had gone home, done up his hair, put on a clean dress shirt, and wore the tightest pair of jeans he owned. He wanted to look good tonight.

He rang the doorbell and anxiously shifted his feet.

A few seconds passed, and the door swung open.

"Luke! It's so good to see you. I'm glad that you could make it!"

"Me too. I haven't had a home cooked meal in a while."

"Well, that will be remedied tonight."

Katie led him to the living room.

Chris was sitting on the couch in the family room bouncing Jacob on his knee. He was busy watching a Cubs game.

"Hey Chris."

"Luke! Wow, it's been too long. How are you?"

"Good, just busy with work."

"So, did you hear anything new about the case?"

"No, but Reid and I are going to get more evidence tonight."

"Great. Let me know if you need anything."

"The only thing I need is for you to get better and take care of yourself and your family."

"That's the idea. Speaking of family, I ran into Faith today."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I finally got out of the house today. I took the kids to the park. She was there taking pictures. Right before we left, Gabriel showed up. "

"How did she react?"

"She looked like a deer caught in headlights."

"She has been through hell and back with all the men in her life."

"I thought she was married."

"She is, but she moved back when she discovered her husband cheating on her."

"Wow, so she left a bad relationship, comes back and runs into her ex-husband who she left?

"Yep."

"I do not envy her at all."

Luke and Chris settled into silence as they game droned on in the background.

Luke's mind wandered to his freshmen year of college. Faith was in seventh grade. She came home after the second day with a boyfriend. Luke and her parents figured it was one of those "relationships" that ends after a few weeks, but it lasted for five years. Two days after she graduated high school, she and Gabriel eloped to Las Vegas. They were married for two years, when Faith decided she wanted more. She wanted to go to school for photography. Gabriel resented her need for something better, and that he wasn't good enough. She left him, and moved to New York. A month later, she met Max. They didn't date until the divorce was final nearly a year later.

Luke remembered all the late night drunk and tearful calls from Faith. It was always the same.  
"Why didn't he follow her? Why didn't he try to fight for her?"

Luke tried to convince Faith she wasn't ready to move on, but Faith got tired of waiting for Gabriel.

Luke was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard voices in the kitchen.

Immediately he felt butterflies in his stomach as he heard Reid say something to Katie that made her laugh.

Luke didn't have to wait long for Reid to join them.

He didn't acknowledge Luke at all. He sat in the recliner, propped it up and threw a beer to Chris.

"What's the score?"

"Six- Four, Astros, bottom of the eighth."

"Damn. Was hoping at least one good thing would come out of this day."

Luke immediately looked at Reid who was looking at the television. He was sure that was some sort of barb against him.

Luke stood up, and addressed no one in particular.

"I'm going to see if Katie needs any help before we eat."

Chris just waved him off, and Reid made no movement at all.

Luke sighed, rather loudly, and walked out of the family room.

He found Katie dishing up lasagna.

"Did you need any help?"

Katie looked up and smiled.

"Sure. Would you mind pouring drinks?"

"No problem."

He picked up a pitcher of lemonade and poured. He watched as Katie put the finishing touches on the salad, remove the breadsticks from the oven, and place the food on the table.

She grinned and stepped back.

"I do declare…"

"It looks great, Katie."

Just then she called out for Chris and Reid to get dinner, and put Jacob in his booster seat.

The way the table was set up, had Katie on one end with Madeline in the highchair on side, and Jacob on the other in his booster. Leaving two chairs across from each other, that Luke and Reid were forced to take.

Luke knew Katie did it on purpose. He shot her a death glare as she sat down. She just shrugged.

After Chris said grace, Katie asked Reid how his day was.

"It was long. I had both my and Chris's rounds today to cover, plus all the paperwork as Chief of Staff, I had to sing off on all the surgical schedules, and fit in a round of golf with one of our benefactors."

"Wow, Reid. You're so put out there."

Chris just rolled his eyes and passed the breadsticks to Luke.

"So, Luke, how is the newspaper?"

Katie had turned her attention on him.

"Umm, it's fine. Just busy dealing with the police so we can get back into our building."

Just then Luke's cellphone rang.

He looked down to see it was Amber calling him.

"I'm sorry, but I really need to take this."

He stepped outside on the porch,

"Amber! Thank God."

"Sorry, Luke. I turned my phone off today. I was meeting with Bob."

"Did you get any information?"

"Yeah, I got a lot actually. I'm headed back to type up the report. Meet me here, and we'll go over it."

"I'm at Katie's for dinner, and then Reid and I are going back to the police station to get evidence, but afterwards, meet me at my place."

"Will do. "

"Okay, I have to get back before I appear rude."

"Just one more thing, Luke. Why was it so important you knew where I was?'

"I'll explain it later. I'm just glad to know you're okay."

Luke hung up then and headed back.

He sat down. Reid was staring at him quizzically for a few seconds before turning back to his lasagna.

"Everything, alright, Luke?"

Katie and Chris both looked at him.

"Yep, everything is fine. Just one of my employees checking in."

"That's good. So for dessert, Chris picked up a cheesecake from the bakery."

"That sounds awesome."

Reid perked up.

"Cheesecake? What kind of cheesecake?"

"Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter."

Reid quickly handed his plate over and Katie put two pieces on his plate.

"If I were straight, I would totally marry you."

"I don't think Chris would like that."

"Chris who? If I was straight you would never even entertain thoughts of Chris."

Chris just rolled his eyes and handed his plate over as well.

"I love how disrespectful you are to me in my own home."

"You know it's true."

Chris just shook his head and took a bite.

Luke watched this all with amusement and chuckled to himself.

"What are you laughing at, blondie?"

Luke looked up to see Reid staring at him.

"Nothing important."

Luke could swear he saw a twinkle in Reid's eye before he dropped his head and went back to eating.

He happened to catch a look between Chris and Katie, and he felt very uncomfortable.

"So, Luke. What are your plans for this evening?"

"Well, Reid and I have an appointment actually."

"Do you now?"

Katie looked pointedly at Reid.

"So, you and Luke are spending the night together?"

Reid nearly choked on his last piece of cheesecake.

That did not go unnoticed by Luke.

"We will be together for maybe two hours at the most."

"Well, enjoy your "appointment" boys."

Luke watched as Katie used air quotes to signify appointment. She stood up cleared the plates from the table and disappeared in to the kitchen.

Luke excused himself from the table and followed Katie into the kitchen.

"Why did you really invite me over? To try and push me and Reid together?"

"Come on, Luke. I'm not that devious."

"Whatever."

"Luke, you and Reid are meant to be. So I'm glad you're spending time together tonight. Don't blow it."

"Way to change the subject, Katie."

"I didn't change it. We are talking about you and Reid. I just broadened the topic."

"Semantics, Katie."

Katie poured herself a glass of wine and looked at Luke.

"I cannot wait until you two have come to your senses, and I don't have to constantly be your mediator."

"No one asked you to do that."

"You're right, but I guarantee the entire town is tired of you and Reid always acting like ass monkeys whenever you get around each other. Just suck it up and deal with the issues."

Luke just rolled his eyes.

Luke helped Katie load the dishwasher, and just as he put the last dish in, Reid peered his head in,

"Are you read to go, Florence?"

"Florence?"

"You know, Brady Bunch mom, Florence Henderson. First thing that popped into my head when I saw you with an apron on doing dishes."

"You're a douche."

"Whatever get your coat. I want to get done and get back."

Luke groaned to himself and prepared to leave.

"Just remember, Luke. Don't blow it."

"Me blow it? He's the one comparing me to a 50s housewife!"

"Really? Now you're complaining about Reid? That is how he always is and has been! God get over it and just deal with your crap. Quit hiding behind your fear."

With that Katie pushed him into the living room. He was so shocked by the sudden movement he nearly fell but was caught by two strong arms.

Luke looked up flushed to see he had literally just fallen into the arms of Reid Oliver, his nemesis.

His heart nearly stopped.


	26. Chapter 26

Reid insisted they take his car this time, so that a repeat of last time did not happen again.

They were in the car for about five minutes when Reid broke the silence.

"So, why are dressed up, Luke?"

"What are you talking about? I'm not dressed up."

Luke couldn't help but blush and hate that he had been called out.

"Luke, compared to what you normally wear, you are dressed up."

"Why does it matter? Is this your backhanded way of complimenting me on my appearance?"

"Hardly. If I wanted to compliment you, I wouldn't be sneaky about it."

Luke sat back in his seat. He knew it was going to be a long night.

They rode in silence the rest of the way.

When they arrived, Luke could not wait to get out of the small confines of Reid's car. He hated being that close to Reid, knowing that Reid couldn't stand him.

When he walked near the evidence locker, he recognized the officer on duty as the same on that had been there before.

Before Reid walked in he told him he only needed a few minutes to get in and out and get the evidence he needed, ten minutes at most.

Reid nodded and walked in.

As Luke snuck by he saw Reid and the officer flirting and joking. He suddenly felt irrationally jealous of the sight.

He quickly hurried into the locker area, straight to the evidence, and took a sample of the coffee grounds that was used to poison Chris.

He placed the small bag in his back pocket and headed back outside.

He rounded the corner to see Reid practically trying to crawl on top of the officer. This time they were making out and basically simulating full-blown sex against the wall.

He suddenly saw a blinding white light and felt a surge of hot rage boiling in the pit of his stomach. Before he even realized what he was doing he had walked up to them, pulled them apart and punched the officer in the eye.

The next thing he was fully aware of was being on the ground with his arms behind his back, being read his Miranda rights, and being arrested.

He looked up to see Reid staring at him with shock and surprise.

The officer finally dragged Luke up and said,

"Reid, can you tell me what is going on here?"

"I have no idea, Patrick."

Patrick? What are they on first name basis now?

This only further served to add fuel to the fire. Luke was humiliated and angry and did the only thing he could even think of in the moment.

"Oh, you don't know why I could possibly be angry "honey"? Luke practically spat the words at Reid.

"Maybe I'm angry because you were using this poor man to steal evidence out of the locker."

Reid reeled back as if he had just been punched. His face went from shock to anger.

Patrick stepped forward then.

"Is this true, Reid?"  
"Patrick, I swear it's not like that."

"Not like what? Are you saying he's accurate with some things?"

"Yes. Yes, the first time we kissed I was using you, but it's gone further than that."

Luke was shocked. Had he just heard correctly? Reid had moved on with a new man? He felt as if all the air had just been sucked out of his lungs.

"So you are admitting to me, a police officer, that you helped this man steal evidence from the police locker?"

"Hey, now. Luke is the one to actually steal the evidence."

"Like, I am the only to blame here, Reid. You are just as much at fault as I am. You were the one to insist to come with me the first time."

"I have no choice but to arrest you, as well, Reid."

Patrick read Reid his rights, and then called for backup to escort them to the police station for processing.

Reid stared rays of hate at Luke the entire time they were being processed.

Luke remembered the bag of evidence he had in his back pocket.

By some clever maneuvering Luke was able to get the back out of his pocket. He dropped it and kicked the bag back until it was against the wall sandwiched between a large potted ficus and a trash bin.

Bail was set, and they each got their phone call. Reid called Katie to come get him. Katie insisted maybe it was a good thing he was forced to spend a night with Luke with no interruptions. He called her a bitch.

Luke couldn't help but grin at his misfortune.

Then Luke called Lucinda, and she had the exact same reaction.

"So, looks like we're stuck in jail overnight, thanks to your incredible stupidity, Luke. Seriously, thanks for this new experience."

"Are you seriously trying to tell me that in your entire life you have never been arrested before? I find that hard to believe."

"Bite me, Luke."

Luke refused to engage.

Just then Parker and Jack entered the interrogation room.

"Luke Snyder, what in the heck did you do to get thrown in jail?"

"I may have punched a police officer in the face after stealing evidence from the locker."

"Why in the world would you do something like that?"

"I was looking for evidence for a story I'm working on."

"So you punched a police an officer?"

"I lost my temper. I'm human you know."

Luke made sure Reid knew he was addressing him with that statement.

"So, why didn't you come to me or Parker about helping?"

"I was more concerned with Margo finding out and flipping."

"Margo has been retired for over two years now. She has no say in how I run my police department."

"Really? Is that why she threatened to come out of retirement to kick your ass when you helped Casey beat an indecent exposure charge?"

"Yeah, that lady has a weird obsession with sending her son to jail, but Luke seriously, come to me next time you need help. If there is a case here, I want to get to the bottom of it."

"Thanks, Jack."

With that Jack and Parker ushered them to the cells.

"Hey, Jack. Can I ask you a favor?"  
"Depends on what it is Dr. Oliver."

"Could you put us in different cells? I cannot spend an entire night in jail with Mr. Snyder without wanting to murder him."

"Dr. Oliver, normally I could do that but we have another guest tonight. So you'll have to share the last cell. You'll just have to do your best to control your murderous urges for one night."

"I'll try my best, but I Can't promise anything."

"Well, that's all anyone can ask."

Parker threw them two pillows and a few blankets.

"Courtesy of one Ms. Lucinda Walsh."

"Can't these be used as weapons?"

"Anything can be used as a weapon, but you should get comfortable. You will be here until at least 10 a.m. tomorrow."

"Oh, well that's just even better!" Luke could tell that Reid was upset.

"I'm sure the hospital board would love to know that their chief of staff will not be showing up for work tomorrow, because HE'S IN JAIL!"

Reid stared at Luke then with all the venom and contempt he could.

"Not to worry, Dr. Oliver. Lucinda has informed them that you are taking a personal day tomorrow and won't be in at all. Your assistant has rearranged your schedule, so that all appointments and surgeries have been scheduled for different days."

"Really? What about the extra rounds I have to make because we are now down three doctors?"

"Dr. Hughes is helping out tomorrow."

Reid looked a little calmer after the mention.

"Well, it's good to know that your grandmother is committing fraud on my behalf. Any reason she would do that, Luke?"  
"How the hell should I know? In case you failed to notice I was with you the entire evening. Did you hear me say once to her to help you out? No."

"Yeah, speaking of which, now that I think of it, you should be helping me out. I mean really the least you could do is pay my bail, seeing as you are the reason I'm stuck here."

"Fine. I'll have Lucinda pay your bail tomorrow."

Luke flung himself on one of the cots.

Just then they heard a commotion in the other cell.

"JACKY!"

"If you'll excuse me, I need to go sober our other guest up. My name is not Jacky, Craig."

"Jacky, where is our girl?"

"Who?"  
"CARLY!"

"First of all, Carly is not our girl. Secondly, you are drunk."

"I need to pee."

"Then use the bathroom."

"It's filthy."

"Maybe you should have considered that before you stumbled down the middle of Old Towne singing Beatles songs while drunk and throwing glass beer bottles at people."

Craig started mumbling then, and Jack and Parker stopped at Luke and Reid's cell.

"Alright, boys. We're headed back upstairs. We'll be back later."

It got quiet after Jack and Parker left them.

Luke lay looking at the ceiling and counting seconds.

The silence was broken after ten minutes when Craig started singing Beatles tunes again.

Luke and Reid looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.

"How long do you think this will go on?"  
"Knowing Craig? Probably all night."

"Wonderful."

"Well look at it this way, we get entertainment and we get a pillow and a blanket."

"Right."

Silence fell again, only this time not as uncomfortable.

Luke drifted off to sleep, and was suddenly awoken by a very large squeal.

"ROSANNA!"

Luke sat straight up and hit his head on the top bunk.

"Damn. That hurt."

Reid was sitting on the bench watching him.

Luke walked over to see Rosanna Cabot talking to Craig.

"Come on Craig. It's time for you to sober up."

"You came to get me?"  
"Yes. Jack said you needed someone."

"I really do, Rosanna."

Jack swung the door open and let Craig out.

He leaned against Rosanna as she helped him out.

She stopped on her way through to address Luke.

"Sorry, Luke. I offered to spring you and Dr. Oliver as well, but I was informed by your mother that you needed to spend the night in here "thinking about things."

"Oh, well thanks for the thought."

"Good luck, Luke."

With that all was quiet again, this time with no one as a buffer.


	27. Chapter 27

Luke lay on his side counting the divots in the wall.

He could hear Reid pacing, and he felt bad for him.

He turned over then to address him,

"Reid, think of your happy place."

"Huh?"

Reid looked up surprised to be startled from his reverie.

"Think about the happiest you've ever been and pretend you are there again."

Reid seemed lost in thought for a bit, and Luke didn't want to interrupt him.

Finally Reid spoke.

"The hill."

"What hill?"

"The hill overlooking the park that you and I used to sit on. You'd always be writing in that beat up, nasty notebook you carried everywhere, and I would read books about chess. We'd sit out there for hours just being together and fooling around."

"Your favorite place was high school?"

"Yeah, it was the last time I was truly happy."

Luke sighed then and flung himself back on the cot.

Of course it was.

Luke felt horrible and went to say something to Reid.

Reid just held his hand up.

"You know what. I don't really want to do this. I don't feel the need to get into this, only to make you feel better, especially when you were the one to blame."

Luke felt defeated. And he deserved it, he realized. Reid wasn't in the wrong, only he was.

Luke said nothing and went to adjust his pillow. He realized then that there was something inside the pillow case.

He turned the pillow on its side to discover a strip of condoms, a bottle of lube, and a note.

He nearly choked on the breath he didn't realize he was holding.

Luke,

I know you will probably hate me, but this is for your own good. A night alone with Dr. Oliver will do both of you some good. Please use the accoutrements I provided, I will be there at 10 a. pick you up. I hope by then you and your doctor will be more amicable.

-You Grandmother, Lucinda

Luke always thought it was rather funny when his grandmother signed her first name. Like he wouldn't know who she was or recognize her handwriting.

He just shook his head. He tried to hide the items, but Reid saw him holding them.

"What do you have in your hands?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Luke."

"Trust me; you don't want to know, Reid."

"Either you tell me or I will find out on my own."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Just tell me, is it food?"

"No. It's not food."

Reid just stared at Luke who realized he wasn't going to quit asking. So he pulled his hands from behind his back to show him the strip of condoms and the bottle of lube.

"First, why do you have condoms and lube, and secondly, how did you manage to get those in here?"

"My grandmother snuck them in through my pillowcase."

Reid laughed then and sat on the bench.

"Leave it your grandmother to do something so blatantly obvious."

"You know Lucinda?"

"I'm the chief of staff at Oakdale Memorial Hospital, Luke. Your grandmother is a major financial contributor. Yeah, I know her. You also seem to forget that I grew up here and I met her a few times before."

"I guess I can't imagine you two getting along."

"Why is that?"

"You're an ass."

"Only to you, Luke."

"And why is that?"

"Because you deserve it?"

"You're only mean to me because I deserve it?"

"Well, I make nurses and incompetent interns cry on a daily basis, and I have a lot of fun taking sticking it to the old, washed up members of the board whose ideas of medical practice are stuck in the great depression era, but my medical reputation speaks for itself."

"You didn't answer my question."

"That's because you just interrupted me."

"You know, probably better than anyone else, how hard it is for me to open up to people on a personal level and let anyone in. But I did, and when I had my heart broken, it was even harder to recover. Now that I'm around you all the time, it's a lot harder for me to keep my heart intact and remain civil, when all I want to do is punch you in the face and make you hurt as bad as you made me. But I can't do that, since it's clear both of us are here to stay in Oakdale. So I'm doing the best I can, given the circumstances, Luke. And to be fair, we were mean to each other from the moment I stepped off the plane."

"Why do you find it so hard to be around me?"

"Are you seriously that naïve?"  
"What?"

"Luke, it's harder because I was in love with you and you broke my heart. Not only broke my heart, you fucking stomped on it, ripped it out of my chest, and then drove over it. You annihilated me. Then I never heard from you again. Not once did you make any effort to reach out to me."

"You don't think it's hard for me too? Always seeing you around town, being best friends with my family and infiltrating my life as a way to get back at me?

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"'Oh, Luke, I'm moving into your old room at your mom's house.' Don't even try to pretend that wasn't your way of exacting revenge against me."

"That wasn't revenge, Luke. That was me accepting your mother's kind offer. I have no desire for revenge, Luke. It's pointless and serves no purpose. You think way too highly of yourself if you believe I sat around thinking of ways to get back at you. If that were true, I would not wait 16 years to do so."

"Well, I think you are doing it because you hate me and are hell-bent on revenge."

"Oh, we're psychoanalyzing this now, are we? You care to explain why you punched Patrick, a man you barely knew in the face, tonight? Let me answer that for you. I'd say you're still in love with me and you're jealous, so you are acting out. Very mature, I might add. However, if we're psychoanalyzing, I'd say it's because you see me having a chance at happiness and because that just can't happen to me, you'd thought you would ruin that by getting me arrested, who cares if you got yourself arrested in the process, it was worth it, so I'd end up miserable, bitter, and alone like you."

"You need to shut the fuck up, Reid. You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, it looks like I hit a nerve there. Poor, little miserable Luke, unhappy with his life, so he must destroy any and all happiness he perceives. So, you see me having a potential relationship with someone other than you, and you think to yourself, 'Gee, I wonder how I could totally ruin Reid's life. Oh, I know. I'm gonna get him arrested and imply that he's cheating on his boyfriend with me. That'll work. Cause you know, it worked so well the first time I did it, 16 years ago.'

By this time Reid was almost shouting in Luke's face, who had backed up against the back wall. Reid was definitely in Luke's personal space, which made Luke shiver a bit.

Reid had Luke trapped then. He placed both hands on the either side of Luke's head and stared into his eyes. Reid's piercing blue eyes stabbed Luke's heart. He felt like Reid could see right through him.

Finally Reid lowered his head so his breath was tickling Luke's lips.

"You fucking drive me crazy, Luke. Why do you do that?"

Reid stared directly into Luke's eyes then and reached down until his hand was over Luke's crotch.

Luke could feel himself already starting to harden and willed it to stop.

Then Reid popped open the button of his jeans, slide the zipper down slowly, and barely rubbed his fingertips over Luke's bulge.

Luke's eyes slid shut. This is not how he expected the night to go at all. He bit his lips to keep from moaning or letting Reid know what he was doing to him. His body however seemed to be betraying his mind as his cock continued to widen and harden.

Reid moved his head so his mouth was next to Luke's ear. He gently licked around the shell of his earlobe, and Luke nearly bit his tongue off trying to stifle his moan.

Reid finally whispered in his ear,  
"I'm going to drive you crazy, until you think you're going to explode from frustration and insanity. Then you will understand how cruel and torturous you have been to me, since I arrived back in Oakdale."

With that, Reid grabbed Luke roughly out of his boxers and through his jeans opening. He slid his fingernails along the length grazing over the shaft.

Luke nearly came then and there, but Reid removed his hand.

Luke tried to move his hands then, but Reid captured both of them and placed them above Luke's head on the wall. He held them there with one hand, while his other hand went back to Luke's penis. Reid grabbed Luke then and started pumping him. Luke couldn't help the automatic hip movements and he started rutting into Reid's hand. Reid's weight was pressed on Luke fully and Luke could feel Reid's erection pressing into his stomach.

He tried to struggle again but Reid just pulled his arms tighter and higher. Then Luke felt Reid flick his thumb over his slit a few times and he felt his stomach tightening. He was so close. He finally whimpered out loud and let his head fall back against the wall. He started moving his hips faster and more erratically as Reid roughly jerked him off. Just as he was about to come, Reid stopped and stepped back.

"Fuck…"

Reid looked pleased with the sight of Luke in front of him.

He was trembling and shaking and in such a hazy fog of sex and lust, that he had no idea what was going on. All he knew was that he needed to be relieved of the pressure.

Suddenly he was being dragged and slammed up against the jail cell bars. Once again Reid placed Luke's hands around the bars above him and locked his fingers together.

Then Reid pulled Luke's t-shirt up to his nipples. He worked on the left, then the right, slowly working down Luke's body. Finally, when he came to his jeans, he was on his knees and yanked both the jeans and boxers down at the same time to Luke's knees.

Luke's legs were trembling as he anticipated Reid's mouth, tongues, and lips on him.

Reid finally came back to Luke's cock and blew on it. He alternated placing kisses and bite marks on the inside of Luke's thighs, and just barely grazing his cock. Luke was dying from the sensations and the lack of touching.

Suddenly Luke was grabbed by the hips and forced to turn around. Reid bent Luke's waist and hips a little so that his ass was sticking out. Reid moved him closer so that Luke's penis was rubbing up against the cool steel bars. Luke shuddered at the sudden cold sensation, and then nearly passed out when he felt Reid's tongue gently lapping around his hole. Then he felt a slap against his ass, which burned, and he moaned even louder. This went on for a few minutes.

Luke tried to move back each time Reid moved his tongue near him, but Reid kept pressing him forward so that his cock was moving over the cool metal bars over and over, with Reid's warm tongue licking at his asshole. Luke couldn't keep the moans in any longer, and he was nearly crying from the mix of sensations coursing through his overstimulated body. Just when he thought he was going to explode, Reid stopped and stood up.

Luke was panting and sweating. Reid turned him back around and took in the sight of Luke Snyder.

He was pressed up against the jail cell door with his pants and boxers down to his knees , his cock standing at attention, and his shirt up to above his nipples, and his hair standing on end. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were the darkest shade of brown, Reid had ever seen. He looked fucking beautiful.

Reid just stood there watching Luke try to catch his breath and contain himself.

Luke felt self-conscious and awkward, being watched by Reid who simply stared at him without saying a word or make a movement.

Suddenly, Reid smirked and walked over to Luke's cot. He grabbed the condoms and lube, and the pillow case and brought them in front of Luke.

"What are you going to do with those?"

Luke wasn't really worried, but he was incredibly tired of being driven to the edge so many times and never being able to get off.

Reid just placed a finger to his lips to quiet him and smiled.

He tore the pillow case in strips and grasped Luke's hands again.

This time he pulled Luke's arms as high as they would go and tied his wrists and hands to the bars. Luke struggled to get free, but only managed to hurt his sides and wrists in the process.

Reid just shook his head as he watched Luke struggle against his confines.

Luke couldn't believe that he was already so hard again. Damn, this really turned him on. He was a bit embarrassed at how much he responded to Reid.

Reid looked at him for a bit longer then slide to his knees and took Luke in his mouth. Luke wasn't expecting that and nearly howled as the sensation of Reid's tongue on him, finally. He alternated licking the head, using his teeth to gently graze his length, and sucking. The constant variety was driving Luke insane. He was shuddering and whimpering, thinking this was the best blow job he had ever had, heck this was the best sex he'd ever had in his life, even better than high school.

Luke couldn't help but look down as Reid continued to take him in his mouth. Reid happened to look up just then and they stared into each other's eyes. Without breaking eye contact, Reid reached down and grabbed the lube that was sitting on the floor beside him. He poured some into his hand and ran his hands up Luke's legs and to his ass. He gently massaged his fingers around Luke's hole. Each time he did, Luke tried to push himself on Reid's fingers. He was so tired of the teasing. Then Reid had pressed two fingers into Luke and crisscrossed them. He moved them in and out, over and over just barely brushing Luke's prostate. Luke tried to press harder but Reid kept maneuvering around him. Finally, Reid added a third finger and curved them. This time he had his fingers right over Luke's spot. Luke gasped and whimpered and felt the pleasure coursing through him, when a twist motion was added, he thought he was going to pass out.

Then Reid's fingers were gone and Luke was once again feeling empty. He groaned in the quiet cell which bounced off the walls. He looked over to see Reid unzipping his own jeans. Reid wasted no time in pulling his own cock out of his jeans and frantically ripping open a condom and placing it on himself. Luke hadn't seen Reid like this since high school and was shocked to see how much bigger and wider he had gotten. Luke had a feeling he'd be feeling Reid for days afterwards.

Then Reid was placing more lube on himself. Luke had no idea how this would work with him being tied to the jail cell door, but Reid stepped forward, motioned for Luke to step out his pants. Luke did, and he was suddenly grabbed by the waist and hoisted up, so that his legs were wrapped around Reid's waist.

The feeling was inexplicable. The feeling of skin on skin, with the burning of the restraints and the tightness of his arms being stretched was almost too much.

Reid grabbed himself and pressed against Luke's hole. Luke couldn't maneuver much so Reid had to do all the work, which turned out to be just fine.

Reid would thrust up and Luke would thrust down as much as humanly possible, allowing Reid to be imbedded in Luke to the hilt. Then Reid bent Luke's legs even more and placed one over his shoulder with the other around his hip. Luke was shaking uncontrollably now. He had never felt anything like it before. He burned everywhere, and it was so good. He felt he could at any time pass out from the sensations running through his body every time Reid thrust into him.

He could feel the burn of the wrist restraints as they dug in whenever he moved, the tug and pull of his body as Reid bent it to his will, and the burning heat that Reid caused when he thrust in all the way. Then Reid added a hand to Luke's cock, making sure his fingernails once again grazed him.

Luke was crying out now. He couldn't help himself. The barrage of sensation and feeling was too much for him.

Reid slammed Luke into the bars then holding him up only by his weight. He took his free hand and stuck it over Luke's mouth. The last thing either of them needed was unwanted company. Then Reid was moving again and this time he held himself on Luke's prostate. As Reid's movements grew more erratic so did the pull of Luke's hands against the restraints. Luke could tell Reid was close and that if he didn't stop soon, Luke would be joining him.

Luke kept waiting for Reid to pull out and leave him begging and desperate for more, but instead Reid pushed up once more and held himself inside Luke. Luke clamped down on Reid and could feel Reid pulsating, and Luke couldn't hold back anymore. He came so hard he coated the ceiling, Reid's hands, face, lips, hair, and the floor.

Reid removed his hand from Luke's mouth, untied him, and turned away.

He zipped himself up, used part of the pillow case to clean his face and hair up, and jumped into the top bunk.

Luke was left standing against the jail bars in shock.

What the hell just happened?

He fixed his shirt, pulled his jeans and boxers on, and tried to clean everything to the best of his ability. He could see his cum on the bars and floor. He had never cum that hard ever before in his life. The silence was deafening. Luke was so confused and had so many questions.

"Why did you do let me cum?"

"I had a perfect record up until now. I wasn't about to give that record up, even if it was for you."

"So, what does that mean?"

"It means it was a mistake and shouldn't have happened, and I regret it."

Luke was devastated. He didn't say anything further.

He lay back on his cot and turned to the wall, trying to hold back the tears.

A few minutes later, Reid spoke again.

"I don't regret it because it was you, Luke. I regret it because I just cheated on my boyfriend with you."

"Your boyfriend?"

"Patrick."

"I had no idea you were dating."

"Yeah, for a few weeks now. He's a great guy and I shouldn't have done to him what you did to me."

Luke said nothing more. There were no more words in the English language to adequately describe what he was feeling in that moment. The silent tears streamed down his face as he realized how right Reid was. He caused Reid to cheat and in turn probably caused Patrick the type of hurt he caused Reid all those years ago. He was too late; Reid was ready to move on. He felt his body then and realized he was bruised and marked by Reid, and that is probably what Reid felt when Luke shit all over him by cheating. Luke finally drifted off to sleep, but it was anything but restful.

They said no more words, until Lucinda showed up the next day to pay their bails.

Reid thanked Lucinda and made plans to take her out for lunch sometime in the next week.

As he turned to leave he spoke to Luke,

"Goodbye, Luke."


	28. Chapter 28

Luke went home that day and took a shower. He pulled on a sweatshirt and jeans. He grabbed a mug of coffee and was going through his mail when he heard his doorbell ring.

He went to the door to find Amber in the doorway.

"Amber, thank God."

"So, how was prison life, Luke? Did Reid make you his bitch?"

Luke nearly dropped his mug of coffee, when she said that.

"Oh my God, Luke, I was kidding, but you two did have sex didn't you?"  
"I plead the fifth."

"How was it?"

"Amber, you are not here to talk about my personal life. You are here to update me on the case."

"I'm not saying another word until you tell me all the details."

Luke just stared at her.

This went on for a good minute.

"I can do this all day, Luke."

"Fine, but I'm not sharing the details with you with my door hanging wide open."

Amber grinned triumphantly and sauntered into the apartment.

She went to the cupboard and poured herself a cup of coffee as well.

"Where's Faith?"

"I have no idea."

Luke called out for Faith.

"Faith, are you here?"

He heard rustling in the bedroom and Faith peeked her head out the door.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Hey, Faith."

"Hey, Amber! How are you?"

"Good, just busy with work, you know your brother the slave driver."  
"Yeah.."

Luke could tell Faith was uncomfortable by the look on her face.

"What is going on, Faith?"

"What do you mean?"

"Who do you have in there with you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."  
"Faith, something is up, cause you are never like this."

Faith just sighed.

"Give me a few minutes to get dressed."

Three minutes later she had pulled on some shorts and a t-shirt.

The bedroom door opened and out walked, Patrick.

Luke was stunned.

Patrick's jaw dropped open when he saw Luke sitting at the island.

"This is your brother, Faith?"

"Yeah, is that a problem?"

Luke finally spoke,

"Yeah, I'd say it's a problem, Faith. So, Patrick, how's Reid, you know, your current boyfriend, doing?"

Faith's face immediately fell.

"You have a boyfriend?"

"First of all, Reid and I are not exclusive, we just started seeing each other a month ago, and secondly, I'm bi, so…"

"How many times?"

By now Faith was furious.

"What are you talking about?"

"How many times did you fuck him, and then turn around and jump into my bed?"  
"Never. He always wanted to wait. Said some bullshit about it being perfect with the right person and that he couldn't just sleep with someone unless he had deep feelings for them."

When Luke heard that, he gave himself permission to hope. Reid slept with him, and while he claimed it was a mistake, what he told Patrick was completely different.

Luke just smiled.

The look did not go unnoticed by anyone.

"So, you're saying that Reid, who believes that I am his boyfriend, cheated on me with you, and actually had sex with you, while you two were incarcerated?"

"I'm not saying anything to you, Patrick. And even if he did, how is that any worse than what you did?"

"Well, clearly this is none of your business, seeing as you and Reid aren't together and Reid cannot stand you."

"Wait, so let me get this right, if Reid slept with me, it's because he can't stand me? Weren't you just saying that Reid won't sleep with someone unless they had deep feelings for them?"

"Whatever. I'm going to get some breakfast, you coming Faith?"

"Hell no, I'm not coming. You can see your way out, asshole."  
"Come on, don't be a bitch, Faith."  
"Get the hell out of my apartment, Patrick."

"Are you threatening a police officer?"

"You bet your ass I am. You come near my sister again, you'll wish to God you had never been born. Have you heard the name Damian Grimaldi?"

"Yeah, the international drugs, arms dealer who died."

"He was my father. Believe me I have connections."

"I could arrest you right now for menancing."  
"Go ahead and try. Girls, did you hear me threaten this police officer?"

"Nope. I didn't hear anything."

"Me either." Faith and Amber grinned at each other.

"Fine, I'm leaving, but if Reid believes we are boyfriends, then we are."

"Yeah, well we'll see how Reid reacts to you sleeping with my sister."

"Like, he'd believe you. Weren't you the one to cheat on him, break his heart, and treat him like crap? Good luck telling him anything."

Luke started walking toward Patrick then. He was done with bullshit.

Patrick could tell he meant business and started backing up until his back was to the door.

Luke reached around, turned the doorknob and pushed the door backwards.

He watched as Patrick tumbled into the hall.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm taking out the trash."

With that, Luke slammed the door shut.

"I'm sorry, Faith."

"I should've known. He was mesmerized by my ass. Why do I always have to meet jerks?"

"If it helps, I'm not very good at dating either."

"Luke, you have the perfect guy."

"I do?"  
"Yes, Reid. He is the only guy for you."

"I think he disagrees."

"So, tell us, did you and Reid have sex last night?"

"Yes, but he claimed it was a mistake because he cheated on Patrick."

"And you believe that?"

"Yes."

"How was it?"

"It was intense. I am sore all over and have some bruises."  
"Angry sex?"  
"Pretty much."

Amber didn't say much.

"Amber you okay?"

"Yeah. I was just thinking about Casey. I haven't seen him in like four days."

"Casey realizes you are going through stuff with the death of Pete and the case."

"He's such a good guy, I really don't deserve him."  
"Honey, he doesn't deserve you. Believe me, you are the best thing that has ever happened to him."  
"Maybe I should just tell him to go back to Ali."

"If you do that I will kick your ass. I love Ali, but she and Casey did not work well together as a couple."

"Hmmm, do you see what I did there, Luke? You basically gave me the same advice everyone has been giving you. Man up, admit you were wrong, grovel if you have to, but get your man back."

"I hate you two."

Talk turned back to the case then.

"So, Faith, I have a roll of film that was at Pete's house. I'm not sure if there is anything useful on it, but he had been helping me and Luke with the case."

"Give it to me, I'll develop it for you."  
When Faith was gone, Amber turned to Luke.

"I got your text. I stopped at the police station and picked up the evidence. It's right now being tested. So far from what I have been able to gather is all three samples tested comes back positive. Dr. Rosenthal, Dr. Murdock, and Pete Hastings were all killed using hemlock. If the next sample comes back positive it will mean we have a serial killer on our hands."

"Damn."

"Yeah, this is pretty big, Luke. I don't believe Oakdale has ever dealt with this before."

"Okay, well hopefully, the pictures will give us more clues."

Luke got up then and walked to his bedroom.

He pulled out the note and brought it back out.

"Over the past two weeks I've gotten this text and this note, presumably from the killer."  
"Do you think I could get the text traced and the note analyzed for handwriting?"

"Sure. I can check around to see who I can get."

"Actually, I think it's time we started working with the police."

"After all we've done on this case, you just want to hand it over to the police?"  
"No. I am saying we work with Jack. He's offered it and frankly I feel much better knowing I won't get arrested when I need evidence next time. I don't want a repeat of what happened last night."

"Why not? You had hot sex with a guy you are in love with?"

"Because he's not in love with me. He only did it to get back at me, he even said so. It was hot, it was good, but it wasn't fulfilling. I may as well have just paid a hooker."

"Luke, I'm sure that it did mean something to Reid, other than a way to get back at you."

Luke shrugged.

"I still think we should work with Jack. I'm heading over there tomorrow to show him the text and the note. I think we also need to have Reid send a memo out to his staff to tell them to be careful."

"Well I can see the need for that."

"So, you're going to the hospital tomorrow and you'll work with him on releasing a memo, that way you can stop and see Casey, who you've been avoiding for nearly a week!"

"You're such a coward."

"I may be, but I'm also your boss."

"Fine."

"Did your guy say when he'd have the sample back from testing?"

"Probably tomorrow sometime."  
"Great. So when we are done with our projects we'll meet back here and go over the pictures, evidence, and what we found out."

"What are you doing the rest of the day?"

"I'm going to sleep, then I'm going to my mom's to take Natalie and Ethan to the carnival in town later."

"Great, I'll see you there. I'm covering that story as well."

"No, you're not. I have Jessica and Randy covering it."

"I offered to cover it."

"Amber, you really need to stop avoiding your issues by covering them up with work."

"And you need to stop avoiding Reid by covering it up with being a coward."

"Touche."

Amber picked up the file folder, and stuck it back in her messenger bag.

"I'll see you later at the carnival."

"See you."

Luke was exhausted. So he turned the television on.

There was some college football on. He never cared about football, but he found himself watching the University of Illinois vs Northern Illinois University play. He eventually fell asleep to the sound of the announcers.

When he woke up it was a quarter past five, and the game was long over.

He had fifteen minutes to get dressed and over to his mother's house.

He was just pulling up in his car, when he saw Reid putting boxes in his.

He wasn't sure if he should stop and saying anything to him, but curiosity finally got the better of him.

"Where are you going, Reid?"

Reid looked up as he tossed the last box in.

"I'm moving out, Luke."

"Why?"

"I thought it was time. I have enjoyed living here and hanging out with your family, but I really need to find a place of my own. Plus, the privacy will be nice."

"Oh. I hope you didn't do this because of what I said last night."  
"Believe me, Luke. I don't do anything because of you."

"Oh… well good luck with the new place."

"Thanks."

As Luke headed into the house he felt a bit sad. He realized it was one less opportunity for him to "run into" Reid on "accident."

Ethan and Natalie both cheered when they saw him.

"Can we get an elephant ear and cotton candy?"

"I want fried pickles and a milkshake!"

"We can get whatever you want, just don't tell mom, okay?"

"Yay!"

As they walked out of the house, Ethan ran over to Reid,

"Bye Weid."

"Bye, kid."

"Will you come back and play Monopoly with me again?"

"Of course."

"You taught my four year old brother how to play monopoly?"

"Yes. Natalie is the one who taught him. I just showed them how to win."

"Wow."

Natalie high fived Reid and told him she was playing chess online so she could one day beat him.

"Let me know when you want to play me."

Natalie and Ethan got in the car then.

"Come on, Luke. We're gonna be late."

Luke just shook his head and got in the car.

He nodded at Reid who was putting the last of his stuff in his car.

Reid nodded back, and he was out of the driveway.

"Okay guys. Let's go to the carnival. Buckle up, Ethan."

Natalie put on the radio to NPR, so she could hear the world news, and Luke drove them to the carnival, listening to Ethan ramble on about his day, and Natalie spouting off about Muammar al-Gaddafi and Libya.

Luke couldn't believe how different all his siblings were.

They pulled into the grass lot behind the carnival and parked.

As they walked in, Luke saw Katie with Madeline in a stroller.

He walked over to say hi, when he saw Reid with her holding Jacob.

When Katie saw Luke she grinned.

"Luke!"

She waved him over, so he and the kids walked to where they were standing under the shade of a tree.

"Hi, Katie. Hi, Jacob!"

"Wuke!"

Jacob reached his arms out to Luke and Reid handed him over.

"What are you up to big fellow?"

"wide!"

"Ahh, you're going on rides?"

Jacob just nodded. His hands and face sticky from cotton candy.

He looked at Reid who winked and held a finger to his lips.

Luke nearly burst out laughing.

He put Jacob down who went over to Ethan.

Ethan tried to step back, but was attacked by two little arms going around him.

"Luke, help me!"

Luke, Reid, and Katie all laughed at this sight.

"Jacob, come on. We're gonna look at the cows."

Jacob immediately unlatched and waved goodbye to them.

"We're gonna eat dinner soon at the bbq chicken tent, you should join us."

Luke was about to decline when Natalie spoke up.

"I do not eat anything that had a face."

Luke nearly laughed.

"You don't have to eat the chicken, Natalie. You can get whatever food you want and join us too."

"Okay, let's do that then, Luke."

"Really?"

"Yeah, plus Reid told me he had a story to tell me about the time he spent with Doctors Without Borders."

"You were in Doctors Without Borders?"

Luke realized there was so much he didn't know about Reid.

"Yeah, I spent three months in Cambodia, and three in Madagascar."

"Wow. I bet that was interesting."

"Luke, let's go on our rides, so we have more time to talk to Reid."  
Luke allowed himself to be dragged by Ethan and Natalie.

A few hours later, Ethan was hopped up on sugar, and Natalie was determined to save all the goldfish that were being exploited.

Then they passed a game that had large purple gorillas with yellow hair.

Ethan and Natalie both insisted they needed one.

Ethan cause it was cool and Natalie wanted it so she could donate it to the children's ward at the hospital.

It was one of those rigged games and Luke spent around $10 and he was getting frustrated.

Ethan and Natalie were bummed, when out of nowhere Reid walked up, put money down and won twice. He took the gorillas and handed them to Ethan and Natalie.

Luke turned to thank Reid, but Reid was walking down the midway with Jacob and Katie again.

Luke just shook his head and watched him walk away.

"I wish Reid was my brother."

Luke looked down at Ethan who stared in awe at Reid's retreating back.

"He could be if Illinois would pass gay marriage."

Luke nearly choked.

"Natalie, it require more than just that."

"Yeah, whatever. I know all about crushes. You have a big one."

Luke couldn't believe how smart his little sister was.

Ethan then insisted they go see all the animals and they spent the next hour checking out each bunny and duck they came to.

It was approaching dinner time, so Luke took Natalie to get her pickles and milkshake, and a corndog and fries for Ethan.

They headed to the chicken tent, where Luke ordered his sandwich and baked potato.

Katie and Jacob were already sitting at the table.

As they slid in across, and Luke handed the kids their food, he looked around, Reid was nowhere to be seen.

"Don't worry, he didn't leave. He's getting lemonade for me."

"Oh, I wasn't worried."

"Sure you weren't. That's why you looked simultaneously disappointed and sad."

"Whatever."

A few minutes later Reid was back, this time with Patrick in tow.

"Sorry, it took so long, Katie. I ran into Patrick and invited him to join us."

"Oh, no big deal. It's nice to meet you, Patrick."

"You too."

Luke was staring daggers at Patrick.

"Luke, great to see you again, too. Do anything lately to get you thrown in jail?"

"Not in the past few hours."

Reid looked between the two to see the animosity.

The conversation then turned to how Reid and Patrick met, and how they continued to date. Luke grew more uncomfortable and pissed off with each passing sentence.

Luke ate as fast as humanly possible, and when Ethan had taken his last bite of fries, he excused them.

"Well, this was a lot of fun, but I have to get Ethan and Natalie home. Bye, Katie. Reid. Patrick."

He couldn't get to the car and out of there fast enough.

"Reid didn't get to tell us his story about Doctors Without Borders!"

"I didn't get to say goodbye to him!"

Ethan and Natalie pouted, until Luke asked if they wanted to stop and get ice-cream.

Luke bought them each an ice-cream cone on the way home.

He dropped them off and promised to go to Natalie's soccer game the next morning.

He drove to the hill that Reid had talked about and sat there for a few hours, watching the sun set.

He felt someone behind him then.

"What was tonight about, Luke?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why were you so rude to Patrick?"

"Because I don't like him."

"Why? Because he is interested in me? Because I'm dating him?"

"I don't like him, because he is cheating on you."

"Wow, Luke. I never thought you'd stoop that low. So, because you don't like him, he's automatically cheating on me?"

"No, he's cheating on you because he slept with my sister last night, while you and I were in jail."

"Seriously, Luke? You thought telling me my boyfriend slept with a woman, is going to make me believe you? What the heck is wrong with you?"

"Nothing, Reid. I'm clearly an immature asshole who wants nothing more than for you to be miserable. I'm going home."  
Luke went home. He walked past Faith who was making cookies, and slammed the bedroom door.

He was tired, and pissed. He was pissed that Patrick hurt not one, but two people he cared deeply for. He was sad that Reid didn't trust him, and he was exhausted.

As he fell asleep, he couldn't help but wish for things to get better. He hated going to bed feeling like this.


	29. Chapter 29

The next morning, Luke grabbed his jacket and headed to the soccer field. Faith came long to take pictures. They met Lily, Holden, Ethan, Emma, and Lucinda at the field.

Lucinda was the first to spot them.

She called Luke over.

Luke walked over and stood beside her.

"How was your jail stay? I take it, it wasn't too uncomfortable."

"Depends on what you refer to as uncomfortable. It wasn't like staying at the Lakeview."

"Did you find the accoutrements to your liking?"  
"By that, do you mean the condoms and lube you so generously supplied for us? The Trojan Mint Tingle condoms were a nice touch. "

"So, you're saying you enjoyed them very much?"

"I'm not saying anything, grandmother. Next time you want to help me out, how about bailing me out when I ask, instead of forcing me to spend the evening in jail."

Luke picked up the coffee he brought and sipped it as he watched Natalie's team. They weren't very good, but they tried really hard.

He saw Katie and Jacob sitting farther down as they watched Chris coach the team.

He went over to talk to Katie.

"So, how was your prison stay?"

"It was wonderful, thanks for asking."  
"So, did you two finally talk?"

"What do you think?"  
"Why not? You had an entire night together."

"I think because he was too busy having hate sex with me to talk to me."  
"WHAT?"  
"You heard me."  
"I cannot believe that you slept with him!"

"He was the one to instigate it, Katie. Not me."  
"But you didn't stop it."  
"I don't think I could've if I wanted to."  
"Whatever, Luke, please tell me there is at least hope for you two."  
"Well, if by hope, you mean Reid dating Patrick, a police officer, and telling me after we had sex, that he initiated, that it was a mistake, yeah, tons of hope."  
"Dammit."

"Yeah."

"I hope you have a plan to get Reid back."  
"Excuse me?"

"Come on, Luke. You cannot believe that Patrick is right for him, especially not after he slept with you."

"I don't believe Patrick is right for Reid, but Reid doesn't want to hear about it from me. I already tried, believe me."  
"Looks like I need to kick his ass too."  
"How about you just leave us alone and let us live our lives the way we choose. Because I'm tired of feeling like constant crap and always getting yelled at by people, because I'm not in a relationship with a guy who, by all indications, hates me."

"Reid does NOT hate you. That I am positive of."  
"Yeah, how do you know?"  
"He smiles whenever he sees you. You never see it of course, but I don't think he can help himself."

"Oh, wow, smiling. Yeah, he's in love with me."

"I didn't say that, but I do know that he does not hate you."

"Whatever. I would like for one day to quit talking about what Reid does or does not feel about me."

"Well maybe you should just stop. I mean it's clear that you don't care that much about Reid. Otherwise, you would have read his letters, treated him well when he came back, and actually took the chance to apologize to him when you had the chance. Reid doesn't deserve to be tossed around whenever you feel like playing emotional Russian roulette with him. So, just quit. Don't follow him and give him false hope. Let him move on. While I firmly believe you two are meant to be together, I'm not going to wish you on him. You need to actually do something in order for anything to happen and I'm tired of you doing nothing hoping he'll make the first move. It's not his place, Luke. You need to make it right."  
Katie took Jacob then and joined her sister, who was holding Madeline.

Luke stood there. He didn't want to quit. He did want Reid. But she was right; he wasn't doing anything, hoping Reid would make the first move. That way if something went wrong, this time it wouldn't be his fault. That sounded stupid even to him.

He walked back to his family and watched the rest of the game. When it was over, he offered to take Natalie to the pizza place for the after game pizza party.

Lily pulled him aside before he could leave.

"Luke, Holden is going to take Natalie, Ethan, and Faith to the farm to pick out pumpkins this afternoon. Could you come over to the house? I decided to repaint your old room."

"Sure, mom. I'll be over around two."

He dropped Natalie off at the pizza place when he received a text from Amber.

Meet me at Al's. I have info.

-A

Luke walked in and saw Amber sitting in the corner.

"Hey, so did you go to the hospital yet to talk to Reid?"

"Nope."

"Then why did you call to meet me?"

"Because I went to the police station, and talked to Jack about the text and letter. Jack said to drop off the phone to him and he'd have his tech. specialist look at it. As for the note, well, I made a copy of it and gave it to Jack already. Their best forensic specialist is working on it."

"Wow."

"So, YOU get to talk to Reid and work with him on his memo."  
"Hell, no. I'm still your boss, Amber. You can still do that and go see Casey, you know, your boyfriend?"  
"Casey and I have plans this afternoon. So, sorry, but I can't make it with Reid. Would you rather I do the memo, and blow off Casey once again?"

"You're such a bitch. Fine, go with Casey, have fun, and I'll go to the hospital and work with Reid's assistant."

"On a Sunday afternoon? She won't be working."

"Fuck."

"Language, Luke."

"Oh, fuck you."

Amber just giggled and took a sip of her soda.

"So, did you eat lunch yet?"  
"No, I just got done with my sister's soccer game, and I'm meeting my other in about an hour."

"Oh, well I was going to offer to buy you lunch, but with your schedule, it's a wonder how you ever eat."

"Rain check?"

"Sure, now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go home and shave my legs, so when I see my boyfriend, it's perfect."

"Thank you for that mental image, Amber."

"You are welcome, Luciano."

Luke headed to the police station then.

He handed over his cellphone and waited as the tech guy worked on tracing the number.

Parker came over to him and offered him some coffee.

They sat and talked about Liberty and his two kids. Luke couldn't believe that Parker and Liberty had been married for nearly five years, and had been since they were seventeen.

Finally, Ed came out and handed his phone back.

Jack pulled him into the interrogation room.

"The phone was a disposable one."

"So, no leads?"

"The only thing I can tell you for certain that the call came from within Oakdale."

"And the note?"

"That was a bit more telling. We know for certain the author is left-handed and most likely female."

"Really? So our killer is female and left handed."

"Yes."

"I guess being left-handed narrows it down a bit. But to be honest, besides myself, I don't know many left-handed people."

"Sorry we couldn't do more for you."

"No, it's okay Jack. We're still waiting on the analysis from the coffee grounds, and we found some film from Pete Hasting's apartment. We're just trying to figure out if there is anything important on it."

"Keep me updated, Luke. Just do me a favor, when it comes to issuing an arrest warrant, don't tell the judge you stole the evidence, okay?"

"Sure thing, Jack."

Luke left then and headed to his mother's house.

Luke walked in his mother's house.

He put his jacket down and headed up the stairs.

Luke saw his mother taping down the last of the woodwork when he walked in.

"Okay, mom. I'm ready. I changed into my old ratty jeans and old stained Beatles t-shirt."

"Thanks for coming, honey."

"So where do you want me to start?"

"How about we do the ceiling first?"

"Sure thing."

Luke grabbed one of the ladders and moved to the corner.

They painted in silence for a good ten minutes, before Luke said anything.

"So, why did you decide to repaint?"

"I thought it was time for a change, something new, you know? I thought it was time to move on from the old."

"Is that supposed to be symbolic?"

"I just think it's time for you to quit living in the past, honey."

"What do you mean by that?"  
"I mean, quit blaming yourself for everything that has gone wrong in life."

"Yeah, okay, 'cause I clearly wasn't to blame for cheating on Reid."

"Luke, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about me cheating on your father, and me drinking. None of that was your fault. You weren't to blame. I had many problems, most of which stemmed from the ill-advised relationship I had with Damian. Yes, I cheated on Holden. Yes, I drank and you were forced to raise Faith for many years, and I regret nothing more. I couldn't get my shit together, and in turn I negatively affected you. I hate that you went this long thinking you were the cause."

Luke's heart constricted. He had waited years to hear this, from the person he needed to hear it the most. He couldn't speak for fear of completely losing it.

He stepped off the ladder and ripped off a piece of paper towel.

He wiped his eyes, which were leaking at the moment.

Lily walked over to him. She took the roller out of his hand and placed it in the tray.

"Come here, Luke."

Luke allowed Lily to lead him downstairs and to the kitchen.

She poured him a glass of milk, and pulled out of a box Nilla Wafers, which was always his favorite snack growing up.

"You remembered."

"How could I forget? You would eat the whole box if I didn't cut you off. Just so you know, Ethan also inherited that trait."

Luke just grinned and grabbed a handful of the wafers.

"Luke, listen to me. I love you and I don't want you blaming yourself anymore. You are one of the kindest and most compassionate people I know. You are nothing like Damian. You are not to blame for what I did, or for Adam dying. You blame yourself far too often for things you had no control over. It's okay to forgive yourself. It's okay to move on. It's okay to love Reid, and to want to fix things. It doesn't make you selfish."

By this time Luke was sobbing while Lily held him.

"It's okay, baby. You are worthy of love. You are worthy of forgiveness. Please don't blame yourself anymore. It's not healthy and I want you to be happy. And if that is with Reid, then that's what I want. If it's with that cute barista from Java, then it's time to move on. Either way, Luke, you need to move on with your life."

Luke knew she was right, and he finally knew what he truly wanted, and what he was going to do.


	30. Chapter 30

Luke asked Lily if she minded if he left her early to go do something.

She told him to do whatever it was he needed to.

So he opened his phone and sent a text message.

Hey, where are you? I need to talk to you. It's important.

-Luke

He waited for a few minutes before he heard the familiar tone.

I'm in my office at the hospital. I'll be here for a few more hours doing paperwork.

-R

Don't leave. I'll be there in twenty.

-Luke

Luke threw his jacket on and headed to his car.

He was extremely nervous as he pulled into the hospital parking lot.

He looked down at his hands which were shaking.

He got out of his car and headed into the hospital.

Once inside he nearly turned around and left, but knew he needed to push through.

He walked past Casey and Alison, having another discussion about how Amber wanted to leave him, and snuck past, so he wouldn't get dragged in.

He finally walked toward Reid's office.

He nearly walked right past, but forced himself to knock on the door.

"It's open."

Luke opened the door to see Reid sitting in his chair, with his feet propped up on the desk.

He had reading glasses on and a pen in his mouth as he read a file.

"Hey, Reid."

Reid looked up and waved him in.

"What can I do for you, Luke? I have a lot of work to do, so make it quick, please."

That flustered Luke so much he nearly turned around and walked out.

"I'm here to talk to you about putting a memo out, about the murders and safety precautions for your staff to take."

Reid never even looked up.

"You're a writer aren't you? Just write something up and give it to my assistant. I'll make sure all of the staff gets it."

Luke just stared at Reid, trying to decide whether or not to continue.

Finally, Reid looked up.

"Was there something else you needed, Mr. Snyder?"

"Mr. Snyder? Really? You know, here I was deciding whether or not to tell you that I did read your letters, but you just made my decision a lot earlier."

"What?"

Reid dropped the file he was reading all over the floor.

"Nothing. I'll write that memo for you and I'll have it to your assistant tomorrow."

"Luke, what the hell did you just say?"

"Nothing, can we just pretend I didn't say anything?"

"No. We can't. You just told me you read the letters. What does that mean?"

"You told me that I didn't read the letters, I did. I read all 500 of them in order, last week."

"Oh, that's supposed to make me feel good? You didn't read my letters to you until last week?"

"No. I didn't."

"And now that you have, you suddenly think everything I wrote in them still applies today? You are really full of yourself."

"No, I don't."

"Then why are you in my office telling me this?"

"Because you deserve the truth. It's true that I didn't read your letters when you wrote them to me in high school. I was in no place to read them. I was afraid that you'd hate me, and even more I was afraid that you would love me, and I didn't deserve it. I didn't deserve it then, and I don't deserve it now."

"You don't believe you deserve to be loved?"

"No. I don't believe anyone deserves that, but I believed then as I do now, that I don't deserve your love."

"And why would you believe that?"

"Because, I hurt you more than any human has a right to. I don't expect anything from you, Reid. I was hoping at the very least we could be civil to each other, though, since we will be working together for the foreseeable future on this case."

"So what did you think of the letters?"

"I think I don't understand how you could love and forgive me. I wish I had read them back then, though. God, I was such a moron. I wasted so much time being afraid, you didn't deserve that Reid. You deserved to be loved in return. I'm sorry that I couldn't give that to you. I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you. Honestly, if I could go back and do anything over again, it would be what I did to you. That's all I wanted to say."

"Really?"

"No. It's not. Katie told me about what you did for me. How you stayed away from me, because you thought I hated you and that I didn't read the letters, and how you made sure Adam was good for me. I didn't deserve that. She told me about Alex and Jack. Why didn't you give them your heart? I don't understand, Reid."

"Because I couldn't imagine a life with them. Not when I imagined you. It's really that simple, Luke. I loved you. I didn't want anyone else."

"That's the problem, Reid."

"What's the problem?"

"I really did move on. I had Adam, I loved him. And knowing in the back of my mind, that you never moved on with anyone else, that rips me apart. Like I didn't love you as much as you loved me, and it's true. I threw your love away, when I got scared, and lonely and sad. God, I'm babbling."

"I know you loved Adam, Luke. I don't care. He made you happy, when I couldn't. I loved you enough to let you go, Luke. I loved you enough to want you to be happy. I will never forget about Jack or Alex, and you will never forget about Adam or any other relationship you may have had. It doesn't take away from what we shared or how we felt about each other."

"You know, that is what everyone in this damn town has been saying to me. Katie especially."

"Really? What has she been saying to you?"

"Just talk to Reid, let him know how you feel, and then have hot sex and make up for being apart for nearly twenty years."

"And she tells me, give Luke a chance, he's just confused and hurt, and he still loves you. And when he finally comes to you and pours out his heart, tell him how you feel and spend the rest of your life making up for being apart."

"Wow, she really doesn't give up."

"Tell me, Luke, why are you telling me all of this now?"

"Because I'm tired of denying the truth."

"Which is?"

"That I love you. I've always loved you, and even though I don't expect you to feel the same way about me or even care about me in any capacity, I thought you should know."

Reid didn't say anything. He simply stood up and gathered his files.

"I've got to go on rounds, Luke. Thanks for telling me this."

Luke watched Reid leave.

He took out an envelope and laid it on Reid's desk and left.

When Reid returned an hour later he opened the envelope to find a letter and a cd.

The letter simply said,

Reid,

I'm sorry. I love you.

-Luke

The cd had only a few songs:

This time I think I'm to blame  
It's harder to get through the days  
We get older and blame turns to shame  
'Cause everything inside it never comes out right  
And when I see you cry it makes me wanna die.

I'm sorry I'm bad, I'm sorry you're blue  
I'm sorry 'bout all the things I said to you  
And I know I can't take it back  
I love how you kiss, I love all your sounds  
And baby the way you make my world go 'round  
And I just wanted to say I'm sorry.

youtube.com/watch?v=77pb0WXAz-Q&ob=av2n

I'm sorry that I hurt you  
It's something I must live with every day  
And all the pain I put you through  
I wish that I could take it all away  
And be the one who catches all your tears  
That's why i need you to hear

I've found a reason for me  
To change who I used to be  
A reason to start over new  
and the reason is You

youtube.com/watch?v=fV4DiAyExN0&ob=av2e

I'm not broke, I'm just  
a broken hearted man  
I know it makes no sense  
but what else can I do?  
How can I move on  
when I'm still in love with you?

youtube.com/watch?v=gS9o1FAszdk

Reid just sat and stared at the letter as he listened to the songs.

Then he got up, grabbed his jacket and left the hospital.


	31. Chapter 31

Luke was sitting in his apartment, feeling sorry for himself. He had just poured his heart out to Reid, and got nowhere. He knew that he should've expected that, instead of getting his hopes up. Instead, he hoped that Reid would hear about his love, and confess his undying love as well.

But instead, Reid left Luke standing there looking like an idiot.

He looked at the clock; four hours had passed between his confession and being left by Reid. He had received six text messages from Reid telling him to call him, and a voicemail that he immediately deleted. He really did not feel the need to be further humiliated.

He tried to watch television, work on the case, and return emails, but all he could think of was how embarrassed he was.

Faith came home then.

"Luke, I need to talk to you."

"Can it wait? I'm really not in the mood right now."

"This is something you're going to want to hear, believe me."

"If it has to do with the case, just tell me later. Amber and I still have to discuss the case."

"No, it has to do with Reid."

"I REALLY don't want to talk about Reid, Faith."

"But..."

"No. Just leave it alone. I'm done."

"Fine, but you're gonna regret it."

Faith just shook her head and headed to her bedroom.

Another hour passed, with Luke sulking on the couch staring at the blank television screen.

Then someone was pounding on the door.

Luke hoped if he ignored it, they'd go away.

Then a voice added the pounding.

"Come on, Luke .I know you're there."

It was Reid.

Great, he had come to rub it in his face that he told him he was in love with him.

He ignored the door.

Reid got louder and more insistent.

Finally, after about five minutes, Faith walked out of the bedroom and opened the door.

"Hey, Reid. Come on in."

Reid opened the door and stepped inside.

Luke could see he was drenched.

How fitting. It was raining and dreary. The perfect weather to coincide with his mood.

Luke refused to look at Reid until he walked over to where he was sitting on the couch.

Faith grabbed her purse and an umbrella.

"I'm going to get groceries. I'll be back in a few hours."

With that Faith was gone, leaving Luke and Reid alone in the apartment.

Luke still refused to look at Reid.

His cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, and his stomach was tight with nervousness.

"Luke, look at me."

Luke refused to respond.

"Come on, Luke. Just look at me."

Then Reid was kneeling in front of him taking his chin in his hand and forcing him to look at Reid.

Reid's eyes were even bluer than he remembered. They were like drowning in Caribbean waters.

Luke wrenched his face away.

"Luke, come on. Talk to me."

Luke couldn't handle it anymore. He moved over on the couch and got up and walked to the kitchen.

He knew Reid followed him, because he could feel him whenever he was near.

"I'm not talking to you, Reid."

"Why not?"

"Because I poured my heart out to you, and you just walked away."

"You think I walked away from you, because you told me how you feel?"

"Why else would you thank me and leave?"

"Maybe because I do have a job that I needed to do and because I needed to talk to Patrick."

"Oh, well, how did that go for you?"

"I went to talk to Patrick and honestly I had no idea what I was going to do. I found him at his apartment. When I told him what you said, he immediately laid out all the reasons that you and I shouldn't be together, and why I should give him a chance. He made a lot of great points. I started to see that maybe he was right."

Luke tried to keep his face passive as Reid talked, but he knew his face was showing his every emotion.

"Then, he kissed me, and it quickly turned passionate. But when it came to making love, all I could think of was you, and the night in jail. I realized then, that as much as Patrick is a nice guy, he is not you... Then Faith showed up at his apartment with a box of his things. And I realized what you told me was true. Needless to say, Patrick and I are done. I nearly went home, but Faith invited me for coffee at Javas. She told me about all the nights you'd come home, miserable, because you loved me and thought I hated you. I don't hate you, Luke. I never hated you, not even on that night. I have always loved you and I probably always will. As Benedick said in 'Much Ado About Nothing'

Suffer love! a good epithet! I do suffer love  
indeed, for I love thee against my will"

I don't want to fuck anyone else, I don't want to make love to anyone else, and I only want you.

Luke couldn't hold back the tears that were building and two escaped his eyes. They rolled down his cheeks as Reid continued.

"I know that we are both messed up, but I don't care. I'd rather be messed up with you and find our way together, than spend any more time apart. So come on, Luke, look at me."

Luke finally lifted his head to see Reid looking at him with tenderness, affection, and something else. Luke finally realized what it was, the look that Reid had always looked at him with, was love.

"I don't want to disappoint you."

"It's going to happen inevitably, Luke. Just like I will disappoint you, instead this time we'll work through it together. There is no guarantee that we will last forever, but I don't want to spend the rest of my life wondering what if."

Luke was in shock. He never expected Reid to feel this way or to say this to him.

He had a second chance, a chance to finally make things right.

He said nothing. He walked over to where Reid was standing and looked at him. Really looked at him for the first time in years.

Reid looked haggard and exhausted.

Luke rubbed his thumb over the dark circles under Reid's eyes.

"I'm sorry that I caused you pain." Luke gently kissed Reid's cheeks.

Reid had gone stiff as Luke was in his personal space.

Luke placed small feather like kisses all over Reid's face, apologizing.

Finally Luke stared into Reid's eyes with his mouth hovering over Reid's lips.

Then he finally placed a small kiss on his lips, before he could pull away, Reid pulled Luke's head closer.

Luke sighed and moved his hands into Reid's soft, curly hair.

He was massaging Reid's skull as he continued to kiss him lightly.

Then Reid slanted Luke's head back by tugging on his hair and licking his tongue over the seam of Luke's lips.

Luke groaned and opened his lips.

Their kisses were slow and sensuous, and then Reid brought Luke's head even closer, deepening the kiss.

Luke's head was spinning and he and Reid finally broke apart when they needed air.

Reid and Luke's cheeks were both flushed, with messed up hair, and swollen lips.

Luke started to walk away, when Reid reached out and grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Where are you going?"

"Don't you think this is a little fast? I mean just yesterday you were saying we were a mistake, and I don't want to do something wrong and mess this up, like last time."

Reid sighed and took Luke's face in his hand.

"Luke, listen to me. I was lying. I don't regret anytime we ever had sex. In fact, it was the one thing that made me realize that I don't want to have sex with anyone else. You've ruined me, Luke."

Luke shuddered as Reid ran his fingertips lightly across his face.

"I love you, Luke."

The last of Luke's barriers were broken then and Luke lifted his lips back to Reid's.

Reid tugged Luke even closer and walked him backwards until he felt the couch pressed in his back.

Their kisses became sloppy, wet, and insistent.

Luke felt like every fiber of his being was on fire.

Then he felt Reid's fingers under his shirt against his stomach.

Reid stopped and cupped Luke's face with his hand.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes. More than any other time in my entire life."

With that, Luke's shirt was ripped open, his buttons flying everywhere.

Luke grabbed Reid's hands before he could go to his pants.

He slid his hands up Reid's stomach, beneath his scrub top.

Reid lifted his arms so that Luke could remove it.

Then Luke was back, pressing his lips against Reid's. Fingers were tangled in hair again, and Luke kissed across Reid's jaw line. He licked gently around Reid's earlobe, and down his neck.

Reid pressed Luke against the couch, using his thigh to push apart Luke's legs.

The pressure caused Luke to arch into Reid.

Then he pulled Reid with him over the back of the couch so that Reid was on his back with Luke on top of him.

They continued kiss lazily for a few minutes, exploring each other's mouths.

Luke moved down Reid's body making a trail of kisses along with licks and nips. Not an inch of his chest, stomach, or hips were ignored. He deftly swirled his tongue around Reid's navel, and then continued farther down, until he reached his scrub pants.

Reid lifted his hips, so Luke could remove his pants.

Reid groaned as Luke slowly slid them along with his boxer briefs over his hard cock.

Luke reached down and grabbed the base of Reid's cock then and slowly started to move his hand.

Then he slid even farther down so his mouth was directly over Reid.

He bent down blew on the head of Reid's cock causing Reid to buck his hips.

Luke slowly took Reid into his mouth, varying from a sucking motion to a swirling motion with his tongue.

Reid's hands were fisted in Luke's hair.

Finally, Reid dragged Luke's head up.

"You seriously need to stop that if you want this to last any longer."

Luke just grinned and allowed Reid to pull him his body.

Then Luke was straddling Reid who was slowly grinding his hips into Luke.

Luke reached down and unbuttoned his jeans.

Reid quickly unzipped them and pushed them down until both his pants and boxers were just below his knees.

Luke chose that moment to grind himself down into Reid.

Reid moaned at the first contact of skin on skin.

They worked up a pace, until Luke was so close to the edge.

Then Reid grabbed Luke's hips and stopped him.

He looked deep into the brown pools of chocolate that were Luke's eyes.

"I would love to continue this, but what I really want is to come inside you."

Luke was past coherent thought, and forced his brain to nod his head in approval.

Reid motioned for Luke to stand up.

Once Luke finally managed to stand up, he stepped out of his jeans and boxers.

He saw Reid stand up grab a few pillows from the couch and throw them on the floor.

Reid walked over to him and grabbed his hand.

Reid led him to the rug in front of the fire place.

Luke was grateful that the fireplace was remote controlled and grabbed it from the coffee table.

He hit the button and the fire sprang to life.

The warmth of their sex and the burning wood, wrapped around them.

He was so grateful that Faith had lit some pumpkin spice and apple cinnamon candles before she left, because it smelled like fall.

He settled down on the rug with the pillow behind his head.

He saw Reid move down beside him.

"Leave it to you to have a remote controlled fireplace."

Reid was on his side and Luke turned to face him.

"Yeah, well, I got it installed for times like this."

"Oh, really? So you were planning to use this with all your conquests, huh?"

Luke just reached out and smoothed out Reid's face.

"I love you."

"Well, that's good. I don't normally get naked with people who don't love me."

Then Reid was kissing Luke again.

All thoughts left Luke's mind again until Reid was asking him something.

"What?"

"I said, do you have anything?"

"Yeah. We still have the rest of the mint tingle condoms and lube. They're sitting on the kitchen counter."

Reid was walking away, and Luke shivered with the sudden loss of heat.

But Reid was soon back and settling in.

Luke felt two hands on him, but could barely make out anything beyond the haze and fog of his sex induced coma.

All he could think and do was to feel all the emotions and sensations coursing through his body.

Then he felt something cold being gently rubbed in a figure eight pattern around his hole.

Then fingers were being inserted and he felt like he was on another plane of existence.

When Reid hitched his fingers inside and rubbed over his prostate he voiced his pleasure.

Then the fingers were removed.

His eyes flew open to show Reid the disapproval he couldn't speak about.

Reid's fingers were busy getting himself and Luke ready.

Then Luke felt Reid pressing against him, begging for entrance.

"Come on, Luke. Relax for me."

Luke sunk deeper into the floor and willed himself to comply.

Then Reid was in all the way.

Luke had never made love like this before.

With his knees up and feet flat on the floor, and his lover in between his legs.

Reid sunk down into him over and over.

Luke eventually got his senses back and started moving up as Reid thrust down.

It wasn't long until Reid was rubbing over his spot again and again.

Luke was moaning and thrusting erratically.

When he felt Reid's free hand go to his penis and start moving in time with his thrusts, Luke completely lost it.

He shot all over Reid's hand and his own stomach and chest.

He clamped down on Reid who was just rocking into him, which forced Reid to remain on his spot. Reid came with a groan.

Reid gently pulled out and removed the condom. He threw it in the newspaper bin beside the fireplace and rolled on his back.

Luke was growing chilly and propped up on his knees. He looked at Reid who had a perfectly blissful look on his face.

He scooted toward the couch and grabbed the blanket.

He pulled it over him and Reid.

When his head hit Reid's chest, he listened to his heartbeat. It was strangely soothing.

Reid's arms came around Luke and pulled him as close as human possibly, without being in each other.

They drifted off to sleep with the scent of fall in the air, and the comforting warmth of the fireplace enveloping them.

Luke had no idea how much time passed before they were startled awake by a shriek.

"OH MY GOD!" You two did not just have sex in the living room!"

Luke opened his eyes to see Faith standing in the doorway with two bags of groceries.

"Uhh, sure we didn't."  
"Hmm, so that explains the condoms and lubes on the coffee table, and the nice big drying cum stain on the carpet. Gross, Luke. You know more than one person lives here. Next time, take it to the bedroom."

"Sorry, Faith. We just couldn't help it."

"Seriously, guys, it's disgusting thinking about anyone having sex, but even more so when it's your own family member."

Faith shuddered, deposited the bags on the table and ran into her bedroom.

Reid was shaking and Luke knew he appreciated being caught a little too much.

"It's not funny, Reid. We may have scarred her for life."

"She's a grown woman, who has sex of her own, Luke. No worries."  
Luke's face immediately soured.

"Thanks, Reid. Just the thought I wanted, while we are naked together. "

"What? She's a sexually active female in the prime of her life. It's perfectly acceptable and normal, healthy even."

"Seriously, Reid, if you ever want to have sex with me again, shut up."

Reid just laughed and Luke knew he was doing it on purpose. He punched him in the shoulder, before Reid was dragging him on top of him again.

Faith walked back into the kitchen then, and got an eyeful.

"OH MY GOOD LORD! MY EYES! What part of taking it to the bedroom did you not get?"

Luke blushed, grabbed the blanket, and apologized to Faith.

Reid finally spoke after nearly choking on his laughter.

"Faith would it make you feel better if we didn't have sex here at all, anymore?"

"Yes, but I'm not naïve."

"No, really. I have my own place now. We could just do it there."

Luke who was on his way to the bedroom with his clothes to redress stopped in his tracks.

"Wait, what?"

He turned in shock to look at Reid.

"What does that mean, Reid? What are you saying?"  
Faith started squealing and jumping.

"I think he's asking you to move in with him."

Reid just shook his head and stood up.

Faith immediately covered her eyes, but couldn't help but peek through her fingers.

"I wasn't necessarily asking you to move in, just have sex with me at my apartment on a semi regular basis, and if you so happened to spend the night, then whatever."

Luke was immediately in Reid's personal space and kissing him.

Faith finally gave up the idea of seeing her brother and his lover being dressed.

She picked up the umbrella and keys and headed back out.

Neither man noticed or cared.


	32. Chapter 32

Luke and Reid finally broke apart and stared at each other.

Luke realized once the fog lifted that Faith was gone, and that the living room was a mess.

Luke couldn't believe the turn the day had taken. He had gone from feeling humiliated, to feeling loved and hopeful and happy.

Reid was over in the living room area putting his scrubs back on.

"What are you doing?"

"I have to get back to work, Luke. I left the hospital in the middle of the day!"

"Oh."

Luke couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

Reid saw and walked to where he was standing and pulled him into his arms.

"I'll be gone for about four hours. I need to do rounds and finish some paperwork, but then I'm coming back here and we are going to go get that steak and lobster dinner you owe me. Except, I'm going to pay for it, since it will be our second official date, and this time I have no parents to ruin it for me."

"I don't think tonight will work."

"What do you mean?"  
"Tonight is the hospital fundraiser for you to start building that neurology wing you insisted would be the greatest the world had ever seen."

"Oh, I forgot about that. Wait, how did you know about that?"

"I'm a member of the board, Reid."

"Since when?"

"Since I was eighteen and my grandmother, who was president of the board passed a motion for me to be added."

"Nepotism at its finest."  
"Believe me, Reid. You should be happy that my grandmother and I are on the board. It could make things a whole lot easier for you, considering how well you interact with your staff."

"True. Okay fine. We'll go to the damn gala and afterwards we'll come back here and pick up where we left off."

"Pick me up at seven."

"Why am I picking you up?"

"You need a date for this, Reid. We'll go together."

"Next, you're going to be telling me what to wear."

"No. But you are wearing a tuxedo."  
"Hell no. I am not wearing one of those damn penguin suits."

"Yeah, you are. You're going to wear it, do something with your unruly hair, and you're going schmooze with all the board members and the bizarre number of people in Oakdale who are richer than most people who live in a small town."

"I don't have a tuxedo."

"I had your assistant, Phoebe, buy you one."

"So, that's why she was measuring me the other day?"

"She told me they wanted to make a life size monument of me for the wing."

"And you bought that?"

"Uhh, yeah. I mean I'm good looking and the greatest neurosurgeon in the world, it makes sense. So you're telling me that not only do I not get a life size monument, I have to wear a damn tuxedo?"

"Sorry, but yes, you are wearing the tuxedo. It's a custom made Armani, you're wearing it."

Reid shuddered.

"Why did you have to get me something so pretentious? You know Tuxedo Barn, would've been just as good."

"I am not allowing my boyfriend to wear something from a place that has the name barn in it."

Reid's eyebrow arched then.

"Boyfriend, huh? Isn't that a little presumptuous?"

Luke immediately started stumbling over his words.

"No, I mean, I"

Reid was grinning.

"Relax, Luke. We're boyfriends. Reid kissed Luke hard on the mouth and grabbed his jacket from the couch.

"I'll be back in a few hours."

Then he was gone.

Luke was left to clean up the place, but he didn't mind.

He cleaned everything up, put his clothes in the laundry and put on a pair of sweat pants.

He was putting carpet cleaner on the rug, when Faith was walking back in.

"Well at least you're dressed this time."

"Yeah, sorry about that, Faith."

"Yeah right. I know Reid got a sick pleasure out of tormenting me."

"Where you did you just go?"  
"I went over to Gabriel's apartment across the street, to wait until Reid left."

"I didn't know you and Gabriel were talking again."

"We aren't, but I still have the spare key from when we were together."

"Wow, Faith. So you just break into his apartment and use it while he's working?"

"This was only the third time."

"What were the other two times for?"

"The first was to see how he was living. You know, I was worried about him."

"That is such bull shit, Faith. You were spying on him to see if he had moved on from you."

"The second time was right after the whole Patrick thing happened. I went over there to be alone. I saw two empty glasses and a bottle of wine sitting on his counter. I freaked out and went to the park instead."

"Faith, can I give you some advice?"

"What?"  
"Quit breaking into your ex-husbands apartment and just talk to him. It's clear that you are not over Gabriel."

"Yeah, well it's clear he's over me."

"Really? So you're 100% certain that Gabriel has moved on by a bottle of wine and two glasses sitting out? What other evidence of a new woman did you find in his apartment? A second toothbrush? Long hair in the bathroom drain?"

"I didn't find anything."

"So, you're saying you're making assumptions based one night and letting that dictate how you feel about him and what you do?

"Maybe."

"Don't, Faith. That's a very bad road to go down. It's what kept me and Reid apart for 16 years. Don't make the same mistake we did. Go find Gabriel, talk to him, let him know what you're feeling, because if what you and Gabriel share is even half of what Reid and I do, you'll be happy you did."

"Since when you do get to be the one to give out advice?"

"Since I actually took your advice and everyone else's."

"I'm not sure I'm ready to face Gabriel, yet."

"Well until you are ready, quit breaking into his apartment. I don't care if you do have a key."

"Fine."

They both sat in silence listening to the thunder and rain outside.

It was calming to Luke who nearly fell asleep, and to Faith it was mirroring what she felt on the inside.

They were both lulled out of their thoughts when there was a pounding at the door.

Faith jumped up and opened the door.

Gabriel stepped in. Luke could tell he was angry.

"Faith, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"What?"

"Did you seriously take five grand out of my checking account?"

"Yes."  
"Why in the hell would you…"

His words were cut off by Faith.

"Because you needed to invest some of that money, Gabriel. What are you doing with all the money anyways?"

Luke spoke up then,

"Faith, I think you'd be surprised to know that Gabriel..."

"Don't bother, Luke. What I do or do not do with my own money is none of your damn business, Faith. You left me remember? Now if you'll excuse me I have a date."

With that Gabriel was walking out the door slamming it behind him.

Faith looked at the door in shock, then grabbed her coat and was out the door behind him.

Luke didn't want to eavesdrop, but wanted to make sure that Faith was okay.

He opened one of the windows to the apartment and listened as Faith stopped Gabriel from leaving.

"I may have left, but you didn't follow me!"

"Why would I follow you when you waited all of a month to find a new guy?"

"Hey, we didn't date until the divorce was final!"

"Right, you didn't date, but it didn't stop you from kissing him on New Year's Eve."

"How in the world…"

"I was there, Faith. I did go to New York to find you and apologize, but instead I find you making out with a new guy who wasn't me. So I let you be happy. I finally signed the damn divorce papers, so you would be happy, but don't you fucking dare accuse me of not coming after you."

"Gabriel…"

"I don't want hear how sorry you are, Faith, or how had no idea. It doesn't matter. You moved on with him, and you're still with him. It's fine."

"No. We are not together anymore."

"Oh."

"He cheated on me with our interpreter, so I left him and came back home."

"Oh, well I guess it seems sort of fitting."

Faith looked like someone had just punched her in the stomach.

She couldn't say anything for a few seconds.  
"I guess I deserved that."

She turned to leave, when Gabriel reached out and grasped her wrist.

"Faith, wait. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I'm very sorry that things didn't work out for you two."

"Truth be told, Gabriel, things between Max and I had always been strained. He knew that I was using him to get over someone else, and he was using me for sex. Things finally broke down when I called out your name during sex the night of our anniversary."

"You what?"

"Anyways, I'm sorry, Gabriel. I'll put the money back in your account tomorrow. You're right I should just butt out of it."

"No. You know I've never been one for the business side of things. If you think I should invest that money, then I will. Besides, hopefully if I get a large enough return, we can expand."

"Expand what?"

"The business I started with Parker."

"You started a business with Parker? Since when did you two become friends?"

"Since the day Parker realized I wasn't after Liberty and always loved you."

"So what is your business?"  
"I own an art gallery."

Faith's face was a mix of surprise and angst.

"Why did you start an art gallery?"

"Because I hoped one day you would come back and be able to show your photographs in it. Even if we weren't together, I was still proud of you. I wanted to be able to show to the world how brilliant you were and I…"

Faith cut of his last words when she kissed him.

Luke watched for a bit longer as they kissed in the rain.

They finally broke apart and Gabriel led her into his apartment building across the street.

Luke smiled and closed the window.

He went back over to the living room and sat in front of the fire enjoying the warmth.

He put an Affair to Remember in the DVD player and vowed to enjoy this rainy, autumn afternoon.

He was truly happy for the first time in years. Life was as it should be. He and Reid were finally together, and Gabriel and Faith, by all looks, were on their way back as well.

Then his phone rang.

He picked it up to hear a distorted voice say,

"Back Off."

With that the telephone clicked and Luke's peace and happiness was replaced with fear and trepidation.

There was still a killer out there.


	33. Chapter 33

Three hours later Luke was lying on the couch, fast asleep.

He never heard Reid knock on the door, or Faith open it for him.

Then he felt gentle, smooth hands on his face and soft lips on his face.

"Come on Luke, get up."

"I don't wanna."

He groaned snuggled farther into the blanket and couch.

If this was a dream he didn't want to wake up.

Then he felt a tongue sweep at his lips.

He opened one eye to see Reid over him.

Luke stretched and reached forward to allow Reid access to his mouth.

"Wow, I don't think I've ever been woken up like this before."

"Yeah, well, you better get up and get dressed, otherwise we'll be late."

Luke's eyes flew open then. He had less than a half hour to take a shower, and get dressed.

He stood up, and nearly passed out. Mainly due to the sudden rush of blood flow to his brain, but also the sight of Reid in his tuxedo.

Reid's hair was done, his dress shirt wasn't done up completely, and he had his jacket slung over his shoulder.

"Damn, Reid."

"What?"

"You look amazing."

"Yeah, well Katie helped me dress."

"You had Katie help you?"

"Don't look at me like that. When she found out we were going together, she insisted."

"Is she the one to do that to your hair?"

"What, I can't do something different to my hair? Every time I see you, you have a different hairstyle and color!"

"Very funny. I like it actually."

"Good, now go take your shower and get dressed. I'm going to eat a sandwich."

"Take off your shirt, and put a napkin in your lap, so you don't spill on yourself."

"Yeah, right, Luke. You just want to see me naked again. I don't blame you."

Luke laughed at that and walked to the bedroom.

Ten minutes later he was out pulling his tuxedo out of the closet.

He could hear Faith and Reid in the kitchen talking about the newest season of Glee and who would be Kurt's boyfriend.

Reid always managed to surprise Luke. He was shocked that Reid was into Glee.

He was just putting the cuff links on his shirt, when Reid appeared in the doorway.

He slouched against it and watched Luke get dressed.

"Your sister said she was ready and going early to the gala with your parents."

"Did she leave already?"

"Yeah a few minutes ago."

"How was your sandwich?"

"Great. I was surprised to see Grey Poupon in your refrigerator, since you hated that stuff in high school."

"What can I say? I learned to love it. I can't eat a sandwich without it anymore."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I guess it made me feel closer to you, does that make me pathetic?"

"Only if reading Jane Eyre over and over makes me pathetic, because you told me it was your favorite book."

"I guess we're both pathetic."

"Speak for yourself. I have a new neurological wing."

"Yeah, about that, we're not naming it after you."

"What? You take away everything from me? The statue, the wing, and making me wear this stupid suit?"

"I submitted a motion to name it the Annie Judd Neurological Center."

"What?"

Reid's face came up. His face was covered in shock.

"Katie told me about what happened in Dallas. I know how important she was to you and how devastated you were when she died. I didn't want your work and her life to be in vain. So I contacted her parents. They were touched that we wanted to honor their daughter in that way."

"But, they hated me!"

"No, Luke. They hated what happened to their daughter, and yes, they blamed you. But they know you did all you could for her. They are honored that it was your idea to name the wing after her."

"You told them it was my idea?"

"Yes."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I love you."

"It's a good thing they can't start without us tonight."

"Why is that?"

"Because we are going to be late."

As Reid walked toward Luke he was removing clothing items.

They were over a half hour late. Reid with a giant grin on his face, and Luke nearly swooning.

Lucinda, Carly, and Lily stood in the corner and watched them make their arrival.

Luke immediately switched into his charm mode.

Reid made his way for the food, where he was bombarded by Lucinda and Carly.

"So, Reid, how did you enjoy your prison stay?"  
Reid looked up to see Lucinda smiling mawkishly at him.

"It was fine, Lucinda."

"I'm sure it was."

"What does that mean?"

"Oh come of it, Dr. Oliver. It is clear that you and Luke are having sex and good sex I might add."

Reid looked at the blonde woman speaking to him.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"I'm Carly Tenney Snyder."

"Yet another Snyder. How many are there in your clan?"

"More than I care to count. I'm Jack's wife and Parker's mother."

"Oh, yeah. I vaguely remember you. Aren't you the one who has been married like seven times, four of which have been to Jack?"

"Something like that."

"Why is my love life any of your business?"

"Don't you know, everyone in Oakdale has an opinion on what goes on, even if they haven't talked to the person in years?"

"That's fucked up."

"I didn't say it made any sense."

Reid just shook his head and headed to an empty table.

He looked up in surprise to see Lucinda and Carly both sitting at his table.

"What is it with Snyders sitting down when they are clearly not invited?"

"Wow, they were right. Bad people skills."

"But I'm still the best neurosurgeon in the world, so they put up with me. Why do people put up with you?"

"Wow. Harsh. I can see why Lucinda likes you. Satan and the Anti-Christ in one room."

"Now, Carly dear, your monkeys are shrieking again. Time to get on your broom and fly away."

Carly and Lucinda started laughing then and toasted each other with their glasses."

"Women are crazy."

"Oh, come now, Dr. Oliver, we are outsiders, much like you. You'll quickly learn to stick with us when it comes to dealing with the Snyders."

Reid stared warily as Carly and Lucinda continued to make fun of people as they milled around the ballroom at the Lakeview.

Reid finally bid the ladies farewell and decided he should at least make an effort. A young blonde man, walked over to him. He kept eye contact with Reid the entire time. Reid tried to look away, but was mesmerized by the deep green.

Finally the man was in front of him.

"Hi, I'm Skylar."

"I'm Dr. Reid Oliver."

"I know who you are."

Luke was in the corner talking to Lily and Holden, when he noticed the man Reid was talking to.

Carly and Lucinda had made their way over to Luke.

Carly followed his gaze.

"Yeah, he's gay and rich. He owns a huge yacht. His dad is the president of one of the largest pharmaceutical firms in the country. Rumor has it that he seduces young men associated with hospitals and woos them to get in good with the hospital, and then form a contract so that their drugs and hospital supplies are the only ones used."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and looks like he has targeted Reid as his next conquest."

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

Luke was busy stewing over what he was going to say to Reid and the asshole talking to him, that he didn't hear Lucinda and Carly talking.

"That was really low, Carly."

"Whatever, old woman. You owe me $100. I told you I could get him jealous. Less than five minutes is a new record."

"You're going to hell."

"And you'll be right there with me."

Luke made his way over to Reid. He was on a mission.

Reid looked up and smiled that half smirk he always used when he saw Luke.

"Luke, this is Skylar Wentworth."

"Hello." Luke tried to keep his face as blank as possible.

"Skylar, this is Luke Snyder."

"Ahh, the infamous Luke Snyder. How does one so young get on the board of a hospital?"

"Nepotism. It works wonders. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to speak to Dr. Oliver."

"Reid, could I talk to you for a second in private?"

Reid looked at him with concern,

"Sure. If you'll excuse, we'll be back in a bit."

"Don't time us, though."

As the guests laughed, Luke knew they had no idea he was being serious.

Once they were in the lobby of the hotel, Luke grabbed Reid and dragged him into the nearest restroom.

He placed the Out of Order sign on the door and closed it.

"What is going on Luke?"

"So, you think you can just spend all night flirting with Skylar Wentworth and that I wouldn't notice?"

"I wasn't flirting with him. I was being friendly. You know the thing you told me to be tonight, or you wouldn't have sex with me later."

"Well, I'm glad you were nice to him, but if you could be less friendly next time, that'd be great."

"You are such a woman. Make up your damn mind, Luke. Either I'm me and piss off everyone here, or I'm nice and make you happy."

"I just don't like you flirting with some young, hot piece of ass."

"Well, then I guess I can't flirt with you, anymore."

"I mean anyone else but me!"

"Luke, we just got back together. Do you really think I would flirt with someone else in front of you?"

"No. I'm an idiot. I just…"

"Don't apologize for what you feel, Luke. Plus, it's sort of hot, you being jealous for me."

"Right."

"I'm serious. It's hot."

Then Reid's tongue was in Luke's mouth. Luke was pressed up against the bathroom door.

The sex was hot and rough and fast. Reid claimed Luke as his own, by leaving marks all over his body.

When they finally left the bathroom twenty minutes, later they walked hand in hand back to the ballroom.

As they reached the door, Reid pulled him back to him one more time and kissed him soundly.

"Now, Luke. I'm going to talk to Skylar and his father, so if I smile or laugh at something they say, it doesn't mean I'm flirting or that I want to go home with them, okay?"

"Oh, fuck you, Reid."

"I plan to again at home. If you behave that is. Now you go and talk to Mrs. Sherman. I promise not to get too jealous of you flirting with her."

"I hate you."

"I know."

Reid kissed Luke once last time and headed back into the ballroom.

Luke watched as Reid walked away.

They had just had fantastic sex, and Reid didn't have one hair out of place.

Luke walked to the bar and ordered a sprite.

He was standing there chewing on a swizzle stick.

"Hey, Luke."

Luke looked up and saw Alison standing there. She looked fantastic.

"Hey, Alison! What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I came with my mother, you know the doctor."

"Oh yeah, wow, I forgot your mother was a doctor."

"Anyways, I invited Noah."

"Why would you do that?"

"I was hoping that you and Noah would hit it off."

"Alison, how many times do I have to tell you that I am not interested in Noah? He's cute, but I am not into him at all."

"Oh, well thanks for being honest."

Luke's stomach dropped.

He turned around to see Noah standing there looking hurt.

"Noah, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to lead you on or anything."

"Ehh, who cares? You probably suck in bed anyways."

"Wow. That's a bit harsh don't you think?"

"Well, clearly there is some issue with you, since you don't want to date me. Anyways, Alison, don't worry about it. I have a date later with a guy named Patrick I met last night at the club."

"Does Patrick have brown hair and blue eyes?"

"Yes, do you know him?"

"Yep. Good luck with him. I hope you two are very happy."

"Are you being sarcastic?"

"Me? Never. I really do hope you two will be very happy together. I have guests to get back to, enjoy the bar."

Alison followed Luke.

"Come on, Luke. You didn't even give him a chance!"

"Alison! Why in the hell are you so hell bent on me dating Noah? I don't want to be with Noah, okay? I am with Reid. I want to be with Reid!"

"No need to bite my head off!"

"Well then freaking listen to me when I say I have no desire to do anything with Noah!"

"Why is it that you agreed to go on a coffee date with him then?"

"What? I never said.."

Luke turned then to see Reid behind him with hurt clouding his eyes.

"Reid, wait…"

Reid turned around and walked away without a word.

"What the hell is wrong with you Alison? Are you just bitter that Casey wants Amber and not you, so you are trying to make everyone miserable?"

"Fuck you, Luke. I was trying to help you. Reid is an asshole, and he doesn't deserve you."

"Oh, and Noah, the guy who just accused me of being bad in bed, is worthy?"

"Whatever, Luke. I was just trying to help. I'm sorry you couldn't handle that."

Alison disappeared into the crowd then.

Luke looked for Reid, but it was to no avail.

"If you're looking for Reid, he left about five minutes ago, mumbling something about stupid love and heartbreak."

Luke looked at Casey.

"Thanks, dude. Could you talk to your ex, and ask her to stop messing with my life?"

"Sorry, dude. She thinks she's helping, but she tends to be a bit overboard with her help."

"You can say that again. I think Reid left because she told Reid I had a coffee date with Noah."

Luke excuses himself, and Lucinda agrees to make an excuse for Reid and him.

Then he was gone. He looked at Al's, their hill, and finally was out of ideas.

He suddenly remembered Reid's new apartment.

He had no idea where it was, though. So he called Katie to get the address.

As he drove down the wooded street he saw a car accident in front of him.

Suddenly he felt cold and unease.

As he got closer he recognized the car.

It was Reid's.

It was upside down in the ditch.

The last thing he remembered was pulling the car over, running as fast as he could toward the scene and screaming Reid's name.


	34. Chapter 34

Luke finally came to when heard someone calling his name.

He shook his head trying to clear it, but it felt as if he was living in a dream.

"Luke, come on, snap out of it."

"Should I call another ambulance?"

"No, he'll be fine. Go get me some water."

Luke knew he recognized the voices but he couldn't see anything.

Luke felt a sharp stinging sensation on his cheek then and his eyes cleared from the sudden sensation of pain.

He saw Jack kneeling in front of him looking at him with concern, with Parker behind him holding a bottle of water.

Luke suddenly remembered why he was there and struggled to get up. He had to find Reid.

"Wow, easy there, Luke. You need to stay seated for the time being."

"I need to know how Reid is. Where is he?"

"Reid is on his way to the hospital, and the two EMTs he is with are the best at their job, Luke. I need you to sit and take a few deep breaths before you try and even get up."

"I have to get to the hospital, Jack. I don't have time to wait around."

"You are in no position to drive anywhere, Luke."

"Try and stop me, Jack. How would you feel if it was Carly?"

"I'm not saying you can't go, Luke. But, you are not driving in this condition. I'll have Parker here drive you."

"Fine."

Luke stood up then with help from Jack.

That's when he saw the flashing lights, the police radios, and saw Reid's car overturned. Glass was everywhere and there was dried blood on the driver side door.

Luke was sick then. He bent over in pain.

He felt a cool bottle of water pressed into his hand. He took a swig, spit it out, and turned away from the gruesome sight.

He walked over to the police cruiser and got in the front seat.

The entire ride to the hospital was quiet, which Luke was grateful for. He placed his cheek against the window to feel the coolness.

The drive seemed to take forever.

He was finally being dropped off in the parking lot.

He ran then. He ignored all the nurses and doctors who called out to him to slow down, until he was finally in the emergency room.

He stopped then. He had no idea where Reid was or even how he was.

He nearly doubled over when he realized Reid could be dead and he wouldn't even know.

He sat down in the nearest seat and put his head between his legs. He was having a full blown panic attack.

Then he felt a hand on his back rubbing it.

He looked up to see Alison who had just come into the hospital.

"Luke, can you tell me what's wrong?"

"Reid…"

Luke couldn't find the breath to say anything, and even if he could, he didn't think he had the words.

Finally after a few minutes he was able to breathe again.

Ali sat there and just held his hand until he was calm.

"Okay, Luke. Clearly something happened, can you talk about it now?"

"Reid was in a car accident tonight. I don't know how he is or where he is."

"Okay. Well, I'm just coming on my shift. So let me put my things away, and I will find out everything I can. For the time being, you sit here and keep taking deep breaths. I'm going to tell Amanda, the receptionist to keep an eye on you. Do you need anything? Water? Coffee?"

"No. All I need is to know my boyfriend is okay."

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

Luke sat back then and watched as Alison continued into the hospital.

What was ten minutes, actually felt like eternity.

Finally, Alison was walking back out toward him.

The look on her face, let Luke know that it was serious.

"Okay, Luke. I talked to some of the nurses who were here when Reid was admitted. John Dixon was the on call doctor. Reid apparently was slipping in and out of consciousness when he was found. They used the Jaws of Life to open the car, as the car flipped four times when it went into the ditch, finally coming to rest on the roof. Once in the ambulance he was able to tell the EMTs he was run off the road. All he saw was bright lights and bump and he over corrected the car, and ended up flipping his car four times. He lost consciousness then and he's been out ever since.

Once he arrived, Dr. Dixon ordered every test imaginable. He found swelling in the brain and bleeding in his large intestine. His first surgery was performed by Dr. Bob Hughes when he put a shunt behind his ear to drain the excess fluid, and he is going into surgery in a few minutes to resect part of his bowel when it was injured due to the seatbelt. He also has a broken leg, three broken ribs, and he shattered his clavicle He has been placed into a coma to help heal his brain.

"Will he be okay?"

"I'm not going to lie; he's in critical condition, Luke. There are no guarantees that he will wake up, but I know Reid, and I know he's a fighter. But he has one of the best doctors working on him. I am not a betting woman, but I think he'll be just fine, Luke."

"How long will he be in surgery?"

"It will be at least another six hours. You should go home and try to get some rest."

"I'm not leaving him Alison. Not until he wakes up."

"That could be weeks, Luke."

"Then, I guess I'm moving into the hospital then."

"Can I at least call for someone to help you?"

"No. I'll be fine. The only thing I need from you is to tell me that my boyfriend is going to make it."

Alison squeezed his hand one last time.  
"For what it's worth, Luke, I am really sorry. I guess I didn't realize how much you really loved Reid. I'd give anything for someone to have that much love for me."

Luke wanted to slap her in that moment. She had no idea what she way saying. This kind of pain he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.

Alison finally left him then and Luke sighed. He had a migraine and he really wanted a drink in that moment. Instead he settled for the coffee Alison had brought him.

He took one sip, but it turned his stomach. He had no appetite and everything he tasted was bitter and acidic.

He knew people would start arriving at the hospital eventually when the news spread. SO he settled into his seat and tried to get comfortable.

He had no idea how long he stared at the broken clock on the wall in the waiting room. He wanted to take the clock off the wall and smash it. Why was it in a hospital that was supposed to fix people couldn't even keep a clock working?

He finally picked up a children's magazine and started reading about the Amazon Rainforest, but all he could think of was all the things he and Reid never got to do. They never went grocery shopping, or to a movie, or ice skating. All the things he had done with Adam and the various men he had dated over the years.

Then Casey and Amber were there.

They just sat on either side of him and sat with him in silence.

Finally, Casey picked up a copy of Cosmo sitting on the end table.

"Hey, look here, Amber. A quiz on whether or not you're meant for each other. We should take it."

So they did. They got a 12 percent.

Amber freaked out and went to the other side of the room.

Amber and Casey continued to discuss their relationship. Amber tried to get Casey to see the merit of putting the toilet seat down after he was done using it, and Casey asked her how hard it was to simply lower the seat when she needed to use it.

Luke was finally snapped out of his fog.

"Wait, are you two saying you two moved in together?"

"It's more like Casey crashing at my place every night where he proceeds to eat my food, watch my TV, and not follow the basic rules of humanity."

"So, in other words, yes, you're living together."

Luke looked over at Casey who had a glazed look in his eyes and started rocking back and forth, with an eye twitch.

"Yes, but don't call it that otherwise Casey starts to act like that."

"Does he always twitch like that?"

"Unfortunately, yes. The only way to get him out of his funk is to give him ice cream."

Casey never said a word, just rocked back and forth.

Amber reached her hand out to Casey.

"Come on, honey. Let's go get your ice cream."

Casey smile dreamily and held his hand out,

"Ice-cream… good."

Luke couldn't help but laugh as Casey was led out of the waiting room toward the cafeteria.

Then Lily and Holden were there.

As soon as they found Luke, Lily was hugging him tightly.

"Luke, how is he?"

"He's really bad, mom. He's in a medically induced coma and in surgery right now. They said it will be about a week before we know if there is any permanent brain damage."

"Oh, honey. I'm sorry. Your father and I are here for whatever you need."

"Can you go to my apartment and get a change of clothes for me?"

"Luke, maybe you should go home and get some sleep. Reid is going to be out of it for a while."

"No, absolutely not. I am not leaving him. We spent too many years apart and I will be damned if I leave and something happens to him."

"Okay, honey. Let me talk to Bob and see about getting you and Reid into a private room."

"Do whatever you want, mom. I'm going for a walk."

"Do you want some company?"

"No. What I want is to be left alone. I just need time to process this."

"Okay, honey."

Lily hugged Luke and went to find Dr. Bob.

Holden stopped him before he walked away,

"Luke it's okay to be angry, upset, sad about this. You don't have to be strong for everyone. Just let us be here for you and for whatever you need. It's okay to be scared."

Luke nearly broke down.

"I just don't know what I'm going to do if he's not alright. We just found our way back, and then this happens. Why does God hate me?"

"God doesn't hate you, Luke. Sometimes, horrible things happen and we don't ever know why. Reid is strong though and I know how much he loves you. I think he will pull through and then spend the next few weeks yelling at the doctors and nurses who are taking care of him that they're doing it wrong. Just wait and see."

Luke smiled at that.  
"Yeah, you're right. Reid is going to be a horrible patient. Thanks, dad. I think I'm going to head to the chapel for a bit."

"Alright, just know that your mom and I love you and that if you need anything we'll do whatever we can."

"Thanks, dad."

He hugged his dad goodbye and walked the halls.

He turned down one of the long halls and came to the chapel.

He walked in and saw candles lit.

He sat in one of the pews and looked at the stained glass pictures around him. He saw the Virgin Mother and Jesus looking with compassion at him.

He lost it then.

"What did I do to deserve this? What did Reid do? Why would you try to take him away from me?"

He was on his knees sobbing and rocking with his arms around his knees.

"I just want to know why."

He found it hard to believe in a God that would allow good people to suffer, and that was all he had ever really known in his life.

"I don't even know if you're real, or if you care at all about me, but if you are there and you do care about me, please let Reid live. I love him and I don't want to live without him."

Then he felt two arms around him and rocked with him.

He knew instinctively it was Katie and that she knew what he was going through.

Nothing was said.

Eventually Luke got up and lit a candle for Reid, followed by Katie.

She simply sat with him in the pew.

Finally he turned to her, and Katie knew what he was asking.

"I sat in here for over ten hours after Brad died, asking the exact same questions you did, Luke. I only wanted to know why. I wanted to know how God could take away my husband the day our son was born. My son never got to meet his father, and I didn't understand how or why that would happen. But I learned quickly that it's okay to have all those feelings. It's okay to grieve and to be angry and to not want to be around people. It's okay to feel what you feel, Luke. But, I'm telling you, Reid is a fighter. He will pull through and you and Reid are going to live a long life, happy together."

"Thank you, Katie."

"You and Reid are my two best friends, Luke, so whatever you need even if you need to scream at me, then I'll be here for you."

She got up then and left him alone to his thoughts.

He remembered what Alison had said, Reid was run off the road.

He felt ill. It was his fault. Reid was almost murdered because he refused to give up on the case.

He couldn't handle it.

He felt himself getting sick again and found the nearest restroom.

As he splashed water on his face he saw his red eyes, puffy cheeks and swollen lips.

He looked like crap.

He walked out to the waiting room to see his family and friends then.

They had brought him some food and clothing and books.

Lily showed him the room Bob had authorized for him to stay in with Reid.

Reid was already in the room having just gotten out of recovery minutes before.

He walked in and sat by his bed side.

He took his hand and looked at Reid's face, which was broken and bruised.

"Reid, what I have done to you?" Luke bowed his head and wept.

He finally raised his head and looked at Reid again.

"You cannot leave me, Reid. I don't think I could survive it. I almost lost myself last time we were apart. Sixteen years was hell, I cannot handle a lifetime. Besides you promised me sex at your place and I'm going to hold you to that. We have so many arguments to have and so much makeup sex, and I know how much you love to make your nurses and interns cry. Just think of all the fresh faces coming in January fresh out of school, and think of all the minions you need boss around as they start to the build the new wing. Please, baby, come back to me. I don't care how long it takes, I'll wait for you."

His tears splashed down his cheeks and onto the floor.

"I can't live without you, Reid, please don't make me."

He laid his head on the bed beside Reid and watched the heart monitor. The steady beep comforted him.

He fell asleep with his hands wrapped around Reid's and his head on the bed.

The next thing he knew he was being gently shaken awake.

It was one of the nurses who came to check on Reid's vitals.

Luke stood up then and headed to the other bed in the room.

He lay on his side as he watched the nurse attend to Reid.

The steady movement of Reid's chest soothed Luke.

He watched that for as long as he could before he fell asleep.

The next morning he woke up to sun streaming into the room.

He was confused for a few minutes until he realized where he was.

He looked over to Reid to see his bed gone.


	35. Chapter 35

Luke immediately jumped up and ran out of the hospital room.

He ran directly into Alison who was just finishing her shift.

"Where's Reid, Alison? What happened to him?"

"Relax, Luke. Dr. Dixon just took him down for a CT scan. Reid will be back in a few minutes. In the meantime, you should consider taking a shower and eating. The last thing we need is for you to be admitted for dehydration."

"I'll take a shower and eat when Reid is back in the room and I can see him."

"Luke, you need to take care of yourself, too."

"Well, at the moment, Reid's health is more of a concern to me. Maybe if you had someone in your life, you'd understand."

Alison reeled back as if Luke had smacked her.

"Wow, that was low, Luke."

"I'm sorry, Ali. I didn't mean that. I'm just really on edge right now."

"I understand. Just let me know if you want to me to bring you some food or anything."

"Thanks, I promise I will eat something and take a shower when Reid is back."

"Good."

Alison walked away then.

Luke walked back into his room and lay down on the bed, waiting for Reid to return.

About twenty minutes later, Reid was finally wheeled back in.

Dr. Dixon told Luke that Reid's condition was the same and that he'd be back again tomorrow to take him for another one.

Luke thanked Dr. Dixon and watched Reid.

He finally got up and took his shower and ate a small sandwich.

Casey walked in about an hour later.

"It's time for Reid's sponge bath."

"That's your job?"

"It's part of being a hospital orderly."

"Do you mind if I do it?"  
"Sure. It's not really that hard. Just make sure not to get any of his sutures, stitches, or bandages wet."

"Okay."

Luke tenderly worked on Reid, while Casey sat in one of the chairs, propped his feet up and flipped the television on.

He watched old episodes of Hawaii Five O and Magnum PI until Luke announced he was done.

"Great job, Luke. Probably even better than I would've done, then again, I'm not in love with the patient."

Luke just shook his head and watched along with him.

Finally, Casey finished the episode and left the room.

"For what it's worth, Luke, I'm sorry."

"I know."

"Let me know if you need anything. Good food, good coffee, porn.."

"Thanks, Casey. If I ever need porn, I'll let you know."

"Later, dude."

Luke sat back down in the seat and watched Reid breathe again.

One day turned into two, which turned into three, and dragged on to eleven days.

Dr. Dixon finally came in on the twelfth day.

"Luke, I know that you love Reid, but there is a chance he will never wake up. You need to prepare yourself for that."

"It's only been eleven days."

"It's four days longer than what he was supposed to be out for, Luke. We weaned him off the drugs that were keeping him in the coma four days ago, Luke. He has shown no sign of brain activity and no increase in his vitals. I'm sorry, but I think you need to seriously start considering taking him off life support."

"No. I am not giving up on him. I don't care what it takes. Reid will wake up and when he does, he is going to prove all of you wrong."

"Luke, please, listen to me, there are people out there who need organs, and the longer we keep Reid on life support, the more time he has to atrophy. He is an organ donor and he had a DNR request in his wallet. I don't think he would want you to let him live on like this. This is not the Reid you knew and loved."

"Don't you dare talk about Reid as if you knew him. None of you knew Reid like I did. I am not giving up on him."

"Fine. I'll be back tomorrow and I'll say the same thing again, Luke. I'll keep saying it, until you wake up and realize that this is not what Reid wanted. I only hope that it isn't too late to harvest his organs."

"How dare you come in here and tell me that there is no hope. Have you ever been in love? Have you ever gone through this? Get the fuck out of our room!"

Luke slammed the door shut after Dr. Dixon left.

He was shaking with anger and frustration.

He finally sat back down and took Reid's cold hand in his own.

"Reid, please, you need to open your eyes. They are trying to take you away from me. Please, don't let them. Fight for me, please. I can't handle much more of this. Please, just open your eyes, and tell me I'm being stupid and rambling. I dream all the time about moving in with you, and buying the biggest bed we can find and never leaving it on Sundays, and buying a dog, and arguing over the best name for it."

"Brutus."

Luke's head snapped up and he looked in shock at Reid who had just spoken.

"Reid?"

Reid's eyes fluttered open finally.

"Brutus. The dog's name will be Brutus and he'll be a bulldog."

Luke was crying and laughing at the same time.

He ran into the hall.

Dr. Dixon was standing at the nurses' station writing in a chart.

"Oh, Dr. Dixon, I think you should come in here and see how wrong you really were."

Dr. Dixon looked up in shock and followed him back to the room.

Reid was still awake and asking for water or something to eat.

Dr. Dixon was immediately at his side taking his vitals, looking into his eyes, and asking him questions.

"Okay, John. I can safely assure you, I have no brain damage."

"You were in a coma for eleven days."

"Well. You know me. I never work on anyone else's schedule."

Luke was still standing in the back crying.

"Luke, quit weeping. I'm fine."

"I just can't believe you finally came back to me."

"Well, you said you wanted to go ice skating and something about makeup sex."

"You heard all that?"

"I was in a coma, Luke. Not deaf."

Luke laughed and went back to his side.

"Thank God."

"Seriously though, can I get something to eat?"

"Well, you have a feeding tube in, so you'll have to build back up to solid food."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"You were in a coma, Reid. How were you supposed eat solid food?"

Reid just sighed dramatically as Dr. Dixon ordered one of the nurses to bring Reid his liquid lunch.

"How soon can I get out of here?"

"Well, you'll need to stay for at least one more week as we keep an eye on you. You are recovering from two major surgeries, a coma, and broken bones."

"Don't worry, Reid, I'm staying with you."

"Have you been here this entire time?"

"Yes. I only went home once to get more clothes."

"So that explains why you have look like a cave man."

"What?"

"You know your beard."

"Sorry. I was a bit too preoccupied making sure you were okay to shave."

"Well, I'm not really into the Yeti look, so maybe you should consider shaving."

Luke just rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, you've been awake for less than an hour and already your making fun of me."

"Well, now that I'm awake, I was thinking maybe we could share the same bed, and I don't want to feel like I'm rolling around with a wooly mammoth."

"Oh, so it's all about you."

"Well, let's see. I was the one who was in the car accident, and nearly died. So yeah, it's all about me. Plus, it's always about me. Or have you forgotten?"

"Fine. I'll go shave."

"Oh, and make you should consider getting a haircut too."

"That would require me leaving the hospital."

"Yeah. I know."

"What?"

"Luke, when was the last time you saw the light of day? You look like a vampire. Go outside, get some sun and then come back and brighten up my day."

"Jesus Christ, you are bossy as a patient."

"Yeah, well you love me anyway."

"It's only because I love you, that I'm willing to do any of this."

"Can you sneak me in some good food? Like a big sandwich?"

"No. You are going to recover and do what the doctors tell you. I don't care if you are a doctor yourself."

"I hate you."

"My how the tables have turned."

"Just go make yourself pretty again, Bigfoot."

Luke just rolled his eyes and left the room.

He grinned and leaned against the door. It was good to have Reid back.

By the time he was back, Reid had managed to make three nurses, two orderlies, and four interns cry.

When Luke walked in the room, Reid was playing chess with Dr. Dixon.

"Ahh, there's my handsome man again. It's good to see you out of your winter layer."

"Shut up."

Dr. Dixon packed up the board and wished them a good evening.

Reid lay back and scooted over on the bed.

"Are you sure I won't hurt you?"

"I don't care, Luke. I've missed you."

Luke sat on the bed and adjusted himself so he was wrapped around Reid.

Luke laid his head on Reid's chest and listened to his heartbeat.

"Thank you for coming back to me."

"Yeah, well I wanted all that makeup sex you promised me."

"I have no doubt you will hold me to that."

Reid just turned his head and kissed Luke for the first time in nearly two weeks.

Luke couldn't help the tears that were barely being held at bay.

"Luke, seriously, I'm fine."

"I know you are, but you shouldn't even be here. It's my fault that you were on the road that night, and my fault that you were driven off it."

"What do you mean?"  
"You were driven off the road that night. Someone tried to kill you because of the case. I'm so sorry."

"In case you forgot, I offered to help you on that case. So I'm just at fault."

"Reid, you wouldn't have been on the road if you didn't think I had a date with Noah."

"You didn't…"

"No! Noah is nothing but an acquaintance. Alison was the one who has been trying to set me up with him for over a year. She finally got it through her thick skull that I was in love with you and always would be. I had no date with anyone. "

"I'm an idiot. I was on my way home to eat a pint of ice cream."

"Because you thought I had a date with someone else?"

"I thought you were really pissed at me for that guy flirting with me at the gala. I was convinced I had fucked up."

"Believe me, Reid. If you had fucked up, I would be in your face, yelling at you. I have no problem calling you out."

"Yeah, as I recall, you don't."

"Next time you are unsure, just talk to me, please. I cannot handle another twelve days in the hospital."

"Okay, as long as you promise me that you'll move in with me."

"Reid, you don't have to do that. I don't expect anything from you."

"Life is too short, Luke, as we just discovered. I am done wasting time. So let's move in together and get that dog and that huge bed."

"Are you sure?"  
"I wouldn't ask you if I wasn't."

Luke kissed Reid again.

"Alright. Let's move in together. How do you want to decorate, what furniture do we need?"

"Luke, I don't care what color you paint it. The only thing I need is a big bed, a big refrigerator, a big desk, a big shower, and big TV."

"Why do you need everything big?"

"Well, as the saying goes, we do everything bigger in Texas. Plus a big bed to have sex in, a big desk to have sex on, and big TV to watch porn and sports, and a big refrigerator to keep all my sandwich fixings."

"So sex, food, and sports are you're big three."

"No my big four are YOU, sex, food, and sports. Not necessarily in that order."

"Thanks a lot, Reid."

"Hey, you love me because I'm honest."

"I'd love it if you were a little nicer about your honesty."

Reid just shrugged and pulled Luke closer.

Luke fell asleep planning the new apartment, and Reid fell asleep dreaming of all the food he would eat when he was finally able to eat.

Across town:

"Luke, I need your help please. I'm locked in the meat locker in the old warehouse district. Please… I'm so cold. –"Shut up, bitch, no one can help you now. You should've left well enough alone".- *click*

Unfortunately, both Luke and Reid were fast asleep, curled around each other.


	36. Chapter 36

The next morning, Luke took a scalding hot shower, and grabbed a change of clothes.

He stepped out to see Reid awake watching something on television.

Luke lay back down and placed his head on Reid's chest.

Reid bent down and kissed his forehead.

"You smell like lemon pledge."

"Alison let me borrow some of her stuff."

"Is there a reason she likes to smell like common household goods? Reminds her of where he place should be? In the home?"

"Wow. Chauvinistic much?"

"It's why I'm gay, Mr. Snyder."

Luke just snorted and turned back to the television.

He remembered that Emily had asked him to check in at the paper to talk about the budget.

He picked his phone up to see he had 27 missed calls, but only one voicemail.

He checked the missed calls to see that all of them were from the same person.

His stomach was sinking as he pressed the button for his voicemail.

When he finally heard the message, his face went completely white and dropped the phone on the floor.

"Luke, are you okay?"

Reid was immediately struggling to get out bed.

Luke rushed over there and made him lie back.

"You are not getting out of that bed, until Dr. Dixon gives you clearance. I have to go check on something at the paper, but I'll be back. I promise."

"Luke, don't lie to me. What the hell is going on?"

Luke sighed and rubbed his neck, which was a clear indication that whatever he was about to say, Reid would not like.

"I think I may have caused someone to get kidnapped."

"What?"  
"Last night while we were sleeping, Amber was kidnapped. She left me a voicemail, before someone came in and cut her off. She said she was taken to a meat locker somewhere in the old warehouse district. Do you realize how many of them there are? This area is a huge meat packing district. There have to be at least twenty seven in our area. It's already been thirteen hours."

"Well, when she called did you hear any background noises or anything that could point to where she could be?"

"No, the only thing I noticed was her voice sounded really tinny, like it was bouncing of metal or something."

"Okay. Hey hand me your laptop for a minute."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to look something up."

Reid typed a few things into the computer.

"Okay so I'm looking at an old city map of the warehouse district. We can rule out the buildings made of wood and brick. This leaves us with four buildings. Now the one on State Street is said to be still operational, so she would not be there, the one on McClintock is used as a touring facility and museum, so definitely not there, and there are two on Rupert Street. The South Side Meat Packing Company is a storage facility for the one on State Street, and the North Side Meat Packing Company has been abandoned for quite some time and was rendered useless when the cooling facilities went out in 1984. Meaning, South Side Meat Packing Company is where she is located. The cooling facilities still work and is used to store excess meat. Start there."

"Wow, how in the world?"

"I took some criminal justice classes in undergrad one year when I was bored."

"Wow."

"Let me know what you find out."

Luke was hesitant to leave Reid, but knew that he needed to find Amber.

He kissed Reid goodbye, called Jack on his way to the other side of town and prayed that he would get there in time.

He pulled up to the warehouse, but saw nothing.

He ran to the loading docks and tried to door. It was locked. He saw a bit of a gap between the overhead door and the cement, and worked the door up enough to slide under.

He ran into the belly of the warehouse.

He had no idea what the layout was like inside, and had no idea where the meat lockers would be.

After three wrong turns he finally found the main meat locker.

He opened the door, expecting to see the worst.

He saw Amber huddled in the corner shivering. He could tell she was weak and almost to the point of passing out.

He pulled her up and carried her out.

Jack was minutes behind him securing the scene and gathering the evidence, which included Amber's purse, her pepper spray, and her Taser.

Luke rode with Amber back to the hospital to make sure she would be okay.

He was greeted by Casey.

Casey was livid, and Luke couldn't blame him.

Luke stood there as Casey punched him in the face.

"You nearly got my girlfriend killed, Luke. Why would you do that? I thought you said you were giving up on the case, but instead you go after it harder?"

Luke stood there and rubbed his jaw.

"I had no idea, she was continuing, Casey."

"Don't stand there and give me bullshit excuses, Luke. You are the reason she got into this mess in the first place."

"You're right. I am. I'm sorry, Casey."

Casey was nearly in tears by that time.

"I'm sorry, dude. I know, it's not your fault really. Can we just find whoever is doing this to the people we love? I'm so tired of worrying about my girlfriend and my best friend dying because of some nutjob out there."

"Believe me, Casey. I'm trying."

A few minutes later, Dr. Bob was out of the emergency room.

"Amber will be just fine. She suffered from hypothermia and dehydration, but we have her on an IV drip, and her vitals are slowly returning to normal. She should make a full recovery."

"Can I see her?"

"Sure. Just make sure you don't overwhelm her. She had a pretty horrific experience."

"Go ahead, Casey. I'll wait to talk to her about the case, so you two can have some alone time."

"No. I won't rest easy until I know for sure that the psychopath is gone."

Luke and Casey walked into the room to see Amber resting.

"I'm going to come back, later Casey. I need to check on Reid, and you need to be with your girlfriend. Believe me I know what this is like."

Casey just nodded his head without taking his eyes off Amber.

Just then his phone vibrated.

He saw the new text.

One of these days you won't be so lucky.

Luke was tired of always feeling afraid; tired of nearly losing the people he cared about. He knew one thing though; too many people had already died for him to give up now.

He was going to get to the bottom of it. No matter what it took, but he was going to be cleverer about it.

He decided to take a few weeks off from investigating, to lull the killer into a false sense of security, and when they least expected it; he would turn up the heat.

Ten days later, Reid was released from the hospital.

In that time he had bribed three nurses to bring him food, and even got an orderly to bring him beer.

Luke finally gave up trying to convince Reid to eat healthy so he would heal faster.

Dr. Dixon took a little longer, but eventually just realized Reid would do what he wanted, regardless of protocol.

They were eating Chinese food when Dr. Dixon came in on that Friday afternoon.

He pulled up a chair and talked to both men.

"Reid, you are being released today."

Reid dropped his forkful of food.

"Seriously? I finally can go home?"

"Yes. As long as you promise to not overdo it. You still have a broken femur, which requires you to stay in your wheel chair. I do not want you walking on your leg, yet. If I find out you have been, I will send over Lewis to strap you down to your bed, so you can't further injure yourself or delay your healing. You know how gentle Lewis is."

Reid shuddered.

"Your ribs have healed for the most part, your intestine is functioning properly, and your shunt has been removed. Just make sure to allow yourself to heal. You'll be in an arm sling for about another week, and in the wheelchair for at least two. All your sutures and stitches have been removed."

Dr. Dixon turned to Luke then,  
"Luke, if there are any problems at all, don't hesitate to call me or bring him back to the hospital."

"Is there anything I need to do to help him out or anything I need to buy?"

"He'll just need help bathing. Try not to get the cast wet, and you should be fine. I'm serious about him staying off his leg though, Luke."

"Oh, I know. Reid will follow directions, even if I have to sit on him myself to keep him from walking around."

"You know, when I think about being double teamed, I had something else entirely in mind."

Reid lay in his bed pouting as Luke and Dr. Dixon planned out his prison stay.

"Come on, Reid. Quit being a baby."

An hour later, Luke was filling out paperwork to get Reid released.

Casey came up to him.

"So, you are finally going home. Who am I going to watch television with?"

"You mean who you will let you watch television in their room while they do your job."

"Whatever. I'll miss you, dude."

"Believe me, I will be back in the hospital, Casey. I seem to make a trip here at least once a week for random, bizarre accidents that my family members get into."

"True, true. I think your family holds the attendance rate for most visits, besides Dusty Donovan, and considering your mom almost married him a few times, he could almost be considered part of your family."

Luke just glared at him.

"I'm going to take my boyfriend home to our new place and make sure he's settled in. How's Amber doing?"

"She's doing better. She's not having quite as many nightmares and is sleeping better. She told me she plans on going back to work in a few days."

"Well, we'll see about that. Speaking of Amber, Reid and I are going to the Lakeview for dinner tomorrow, sort of as a celebratory date about his release. You and Amber should join us, it will be a nice way to celebrate our loved ones not dying."

"Sounds like a plan. Oh, you remember that research you wanted me to do on Invicta Corporation? I have the information right here."

Casey handed over a huge file.

"It's very weird stuff. Maybe you can make more out of it than I can."

Luke flipped open to the first page, and nearly fainted when he saw the name printed across the top.


	37. Chapter 37

Are you playing a joke on me, Casey?

What are you talking about?

This file, are you kidding?

"No, why?"

"You don't recognize the name?"

"To be honest, I may have been a bit baked when I got the folder."

"What do you mean, got the folder? This isn't your own work?"

"No. Alison and I have been working on the case together, while we were at work."

"Well it's clear I need to talk to Alison about the name on this file, since it's impossible."

"Do what you have to do bro."

"Okay, I'm going to go find, Alison. Will you let Amber know that I'll be back sometime tomorrow to talk to her?"

"Sure thing, bro."

Luke headed out of the hospital. He was more determined than ever to find out what was going on.

He headed toward Alison's apartment.

He knocked on her door, praying that she was there, and thinking he should've called before he stopped over.

He tried calling Alison's cell phone when no one answered and heard it ringing inside.

So, Alison was definitely there.

He walked over to the window and saw it wide open with the curtains flopping in the breeze.

Alison was lying on the floor, not moving.

Luke acted then. He burst through her front door, and checked her pulse.

She was barely breathing, but still alive.

He called 911 then, and had them send an ambulance.

He looked around and the only thing he saw was a coffee mug.

He went over to the coffee maker which was still on and took a spoonful of the grounds and placed them in a bag.

This had all the signs of another poisoning.

He went back and held Alison until helped arrived.

The EMTs questioned how long she had been down. He answered to the best of his knowledge and watched as Alison was wheeled away. He felt horrible. He and Alison had always been good friends and he hated that they had left their friendship in such a bad place.

Jack and Parker were close behind and questioned Luke.

He explained what he was doing there, and they told him he was free to go back to the hospital.

He called Reid on his way and told him that it would be a few hours before they could leave to go home, but he would be there as soon as possible.

Reid simply told him he expected a large pizza and a six pack of beer for his troubles.

Luke headed to the police station first to drop off the evidence. When he arrived, he found that the other evidence from Chris's poisoning was back. He had indeed poisoned by hemlock, but Chris knowing the signs caught it before it completely shut down his system.

So there was a serial killer out there on the loose. Someone who was targeting everyone who worked on the case, and she was female.

Luke was at a standstill. He had no idea who was targeting his friends and loved ones, or why the case was so important to the killer. But he wasn't going to let the killer win. Especially not when people like Alison, Amber, Reid, Chris, Pete, Dr. Rosenthal, and Dr. Murdoch had all been targeted. Why hadn't Luke? Why was Luke the only one not to have something happen to him?

These were all questions that ran through his mind as he waited for news of Alison.

Casey walked into the waiting room and saw Luke.

"What are you doing back here so soon?"

"The killer got to Alison."

"What?"  
"She's in the emergency room now being worked on."

"Oh my God. No."

"I'm sorry, Casey."

"Why?"

"I'm sorry. Maybe I should just give up."  
"No. I nearly lost the love of my life today, and my first true love is fighting for her life right now. No. You will find the murderer and then let me at them. I will personally see to it that they are castrated."

"If they're male."

"Either way, they will pay for what they have done to us."

"Casey, go sit with Amber. I'll let you know when I hear anything."

"No, Luke. You don't understand. I'm not leaving until I hear something."

"Fine. I'll go talk to Amber, just make sure you let me know."

"Fine."

Luke walked towards Amber room.

He peeked his head in to see Amber working on the case.

"Really, you nearly die because of the case and you're working on it already?"

"I can't help it. I got some great leads, even though I got kidnapped and nearly murdered."

"So, let's hear it."

"Where's Casey?"

"Umm, he's in the waiting room. I think he wanted to give us privacy."

"Right. Casey? Tell me the truth, Luke. The look on your face lets me know that you're lying."

"I found Alison unconscious, barely breathing on the floor of her apartment. She's in the emergency room now getting tested, but Casey wanted to make sure she was okay."

"Wow. I can't believe…"

"Don't take it personally that he wanted to check on her. He's a good guy."

"I know. I love him for it, and I don't blame him for wanting to make sure Alison is okay. They are still friends."

"You're a bigger person than I am, then."

"I guess, it's called being in love."

Luke just smiled and scooted his chair closer.

"So, tell me all your big leads."

"Okay, well I told you I met with Dr. Bob. He was very forthcoming with his information."

"And?"  
"Let's just say that he was visited by a woman from Invicta Corporation and she not so kindly requested that he vacate his position immediately. If he did not, they would ruin the hospital with litigation."

"But, why would they want him gone?"

"He has no idea. All he knew was that they wanted him gone as soon as possible and to invite Reid Oliver to come back to Oakdale as the new Chief of Staff. Turns out that the hospital that Reid was at in Dallas had been purchased two weeks before by Invicta as well, and three doctors there also died, before the merger went through."

"Let me guess, hemlock poisoning?"

"Yes. Once I called the homicide detective there to let him know what our theory was, they exhumed their bodies and tested them again. It was hemlock."

"So our serial killer has been in two cities."

"Yes. The killings stopped though when Reid moved to Oakdale, and the homicide detective was convinced that Reid was the killer, until I pointed out that two of the murders overlapped. One happened in Oakdale the exact same night, one happened in Dallas. Which means…?"

"There has to be two killers."

"Right. So we have at least two people working together, and Invicta is definitely involved somehow."

"Well Casey just gave me this file that has information on Invicta."  
"Really?" What does it say?"

"Well it said Lily Walsh across the top of one of the memos Casey was able to get from Invicta's database. And I know my mother can be a bit of whiny, over emotional bitch sometimes, but she is not a killer."

"So why would your mother be implicated?"

"Maybe as a set up?"

"Is there any more information about Invicta? Like financial records or press releases?"

"I haven't looked that far into the file yet, but from what I can tell, it's a fairly new company. In the past two years they have bought all kinds of real estate, holding companies, and bought shares in many companies."

"So, Bob retired because they threatened to ruin the hospital, forced him to bring Reid back, by buying out the hospital they ensured that Reid would go to Oakdale since they owned both hospitals."

Luke could feel a migraine coming on.

"This is confusing."

"Well, I also talked to Faith who gave me the pictures she took over the past few weeks and from Pete's camera."

"Right. Did we get anything?"

"I think we can for sure determine that there are more than two people working together. One is definitely a female based on height and build. And there are at least two men; both at least 6 feet tall and average build. Of course we see no faces or features, but this goes beyond one killer."

"Well, looks like we have our work cut out for us."

"So, how did you happen to be kidnapped?"

"Well, I got a text telling me to meet me at the meat warehouse because they had a lead. So, I went, by myself and got jumped and chloroformed. When I woke up, I was in the meat locker, freezing, and freaking out, but I still had my phone. Thank god for 3G coverage. Anyways, I called and was able to leave a voicemail, before the smaller one came and took my phone, broke it, and kicked me in the ribs."

"Wow."

"Yeah, then they left and turned the lights off. I sat in the dark for at least ten hours before I finally felt myself getting weak. The next thing I remember is thinking is that I'm going to die without telling Casey I loved him and then I woke up in a hospital bed. So I guess, I have you to thank for saving my life."

"Well, me and Reid."

"Reid? Really?"

"Yeah, he's the one to figure out what meat locker you were in."

"Wow. I'm impressed. I guess I have to thank him to. What do you think he'd like, flowers?"

"Anything edible is my guess. Besides, we four are going out for dinner tomorrow night at the Lakeview, my treat. So you can thank him there."

"I can't wait. I've been living off Jell-O since I got admitted."

"Well you can order whatever you like tomorrow night. Reid will probably order everything on the menu."

"I look forward to it."

They were interrupted when Casey walked in the door.

"She's going to be fine. They were able to pump her stomach, and she's resting comfortably. She probably won't be up for a few hours, but she's out of the woods."

Luke sighed in relief.

"Thank God. Do they know what she was poisoned with?"

"It was strychnine. Fortunately, you found her about twenty minutes after it was ingested, and they were able to pump her stomach, and are administrating activated charcoal to seep up the excess, and some anticonvulsants. If she makes it past 24 hours, she should be fine."

"So it wasn't hemlock? Why would the killer suddenly start using a different poison that is so easy to trace."

"All we know is that someone is targeting every person that has been on the case so far."

"This is too depressing for me. I'm going to see Reid and take him home."

"I think being with ones we love tonight is just what we all need."

"I feel horrible leaving Alison here alone though."

"She's not alone. She has us."

Luke just nodded and headed toward Reid's room.

He was so exhausted, physically and emotionally.

He finally saw Reid who was fast asleep. He didn't care about leaving anymore. He just wanted to be close to the man he loved.

So he slipped into the bed with Reid and closed his eyes.

The silent tears fell as he released the pent up emotion and stress he had been carrying for the past few days. He felt two arms come around him and pull him closer.

He knew Reid was awake, because he felt a hand in his hair, massaging his scalp.

Luke just sighed and flipped over.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Don't ever leave me."

"I'll do my best."

Luke slept then, knowing that life was short and fleeting, and he was grateful that he had finally told Reid how he felt. He wouldn't trade anything for the feeling of safety and love in Reid's arms.

The next day was bright and sunny and cooler as Luke wheeled Reid out of the hospital.

They were finally on their way home. He was so happy.

As he helped Reid into the car, he looked back at the hospital.

He was glad to be getting away from it, knowing in the pit of his stomach that Amber and Alison were both still in there, recovering.

Reid didn't press him though, just smiled his half smirk at him and asked him if they could stop and get pancakes on the way home.

Luke said they could go wherever he wanted and Reid insisted on stuffed French toast, followed by pancakes, and then sausage gravy and biscuits.

Luke just watched in amusement as his boyfriend stuffed himself and then asked for a side of home fries and toast.

"You'll have to forgive him, Henry. He hasn't really been able to eat real food for a few weeks."

Henry just shook his head in disgust as he watched Reid stuff himself.

"So, this is his idea of breakfast?"

Reid finally said around a mouthful,

"Less talking, Hank. More orange juice."

Hank scoffed at Reid and stalked back to the kitchen.

"I hope you know he's going to spit in your orange juice."

"I didn't really want any more juice. I just wanted him to go away. His cologne is overpowering. I think he doused himself with a full bottle."

Luke just laughed and picked at his bacon and eggs.

Reid watched and finally just reached his hand out.

Luke grinned and handed him the plate.

Finally, Reid was full and they left.

"So what did you want to do next, Reid?"

"I want to go home and sleep in my bed."

"Your bed, huh?"

"Our bed, whatever. Let's just go and fool around a bit in our bed and then sleep."

"We are not fooling around until you are out of the cast."

"Come on, Luke. It's been two weeks."

"How long before that was it?"  
"Let's not refer to that dark time in our lives."

"Reid, we are going home, and you are going to take a nap. Then you're going to take your antibiotics to make sure you don't get any infections. Then I'm going to help you take a bath, and you are going to sit on the couch and watch a football game."

"I like my version better."

"Well I prefer you safe and well and alive. So humor me."

"I hope you know that if you don't play with me, I'll just play with myself and ruin the good towels, so that they're never soft and fluffy again."

"If that means you don't injure yourself, then fine."

"You're no fun."

Luke just stared at Reid and finally pulled into Reid's place.

Luke was suddenly very nervous. He had never been here before, and his first time was because he was moving in with him.

He shook it off and helped Reid back into his wheelchair.

It took some maneuvering to get the chair up the few steps, but he finally managed to get Reid into the apartment.

There were no decorations, very little furniture, and it was very stark.

Luke just shook his head.

"What you don't like it?"

"It's very you, Reid. But, uhh, sorry, your taste sucks. We are definitely repainting and decorating and there will be pictures of people, like our families and friends."

"Like I said. I don't care. I already said what I needed. Now number one on that list, a sandwich."

"There is no way in hell that you are hungry. You just ate enough for an entire family."

"Hey, I'm truly living again here, I need my sandwich."

Luke gave up.

"Fine, put yourself in a food coma. I'm going to make sure the bed is ready."

"My bed is always ready, Luke."

Reid waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Luke.

"I know it is, which is why I'm taking the couch."

Reid just shook his head.

"You should just learn to give in to me, I'm very persistent, Luke."

"Right. Well I guess we'll see who bends first."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Looks like it."  
Both men went their separate ways.

Once Reid had his shower and was safely tucked in his bed watching his enormous television, Luke made up the couch and lay down.

He had slept with Reid every night for the past ten days, and he missed him already.

He wanted to get up and slip into bed with Reid, but knew Reid would never let him live it down.

So he forced himself to snuggle deeper into the couch and sleep.

He knew the next day was going to be even longer, but he was not prepared for how long it would truly be.


	38. Chapter 38

Every fiber of Luke's body screamed at him as he opened his eyes to see the early morning sun peeking through the windows of the apartment.

He groaned and stretched.

Finally he sat up on the couch and let his eyes adjust to the light.

He was tired and sore from tossing and turning all night.

He had gotten very little sleep as thoughts of Reid and being so close to him, but not being able to touch him, tormented him.

He put his head in his hands and willed his muscles to relax and his mind to think of something else.

Finally he stood up and walked into the kitchen.

He made coffee and sat down.

This was the only room that Reid had done anything to.

Of course it would be the kitchen that he would care about most.

Everything was decked out in stainless steel appliances, with beige and red and orange accenting.

All the counter tops were adorned with cherry red appliances.

As he sat at the table looking around, he noticed something on the side of the refrigerator.

It was the only picture he and Reid had ever taken.

It was innocent enough, because it was taken before Luke had come out, and before Reid's parents knew that he and Luke were together.

In the picture they were dressed for the prom with an arm around each other.

They were both happy and smiling.

Luke's heart tugged a little as he remembered that night and then what had happened.

He was still staring at it when he heard Reid clear his through behind him.

"So, what's for breakfast?"

Luke turned around to see Reid sitting in his wheelchair, wearing nothing but a pair of boxer briefs.

"Why are you out of bed? You should've told me you were ready to get up and I would've helped you!"

"I have a broken leg, Luke. I'm not paralyzed."

"You could still injure yourself and I cannot have that."

"Luke, I promise you, I'm not going to kill myself dragging my body into a wheelchair. Now, where is breakfast?"  
"I made coffee, but that's as far as I got."

Reid just sighed and went to the fridge. He pulled out bacon, and headed to the cabinet to pull out a frying pan.

"Is that all you're going to make?"

"What? I like bacon."

Luke just shook his head and headed back into the living room.

He stared at the barren walls and felt the itch to go buy paint and rugs and pillows to make it seem warmer.

"So, when are you moving in?"

Luke turned around to see Reid chewing on a piece of bacon.

"When you are completely healed and after this place is redecorated."

"You drive a hard bargain."

"That I do. So, what colors do you not like?"

"Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet."

"So you hate all of the colors in the rainbow?"

"Yes. They are garish and too loud."

"As a gay man, you do realize how ironic that is, correct?"

"Yeah, well when have you ever known me to conform in anything?"

"True. So, tell me, are there any colors you do like?"

"Black, Brown, White."

"Yeah, I couldn't tell." Luke took in the sparsely decorated living room with the black leather furniture, white walls and carpet. There were black and white photos of other people's families in frames.

"What is the purpose of having pictures if they are all of people that are not you or related to you in anyway?"

"Katie put them up hoping I'd take the time and replace them with pictures of my family, her and me, and you and me."

"And why didn't you?"

"I misplaced the pictures of Katie and I, I haven't had a picture taken with my family in over 20 years, and the only picture I had of you and I is on the refrigerator."

"Well, fortunately for you, this color scheme and decorating does not work. So all the pictures are coming down and we are repainting the room. Then, we'll move on to the bedroom."

"Do you mean that? Come on, let's throw a fresh coat of paint on in here and head to the bedroom. Or better yet, let's start in the bedroom!"

"Reid, by move on to the bedroom, I meant we'll decorate that next."

"You're such a prick tease."  
"No, you're just incredibly dirty."

"Whatever."

"So, I'm thinking green walls, white furniture, and beige accents."

"Like I told you yesterday, I do not care. The very few things I do care about in here don't require my attention to the color of the walls."

Luke rolled his eyes and took a piece of bacon from Reid's plate.

"How could I forget? Sex, sports, food and me."

"Right."

"Tell you what if you come with me and help me pick out some colors, I will reward you."

Reid immediately started grinning,

"What type of reward, Luke?"

"It's a surprise, but I promise it's one of the four things you are most interested in."

Reid was already at the door by the time Luke had finished talking.

"Come on then. The sooner we get the pain, the sooner I can get my reward."

Luke couldn't help but laugh.

"Uhh, Reid. You may want to put some clothing on. As much as Mrs. Hanson down at the store loves you, I don't think she'd appreciate you causing quite that much of a stir."

"You'd be surprised."

"Just go get dressed."

Reid was going back into the bedroom then.

Luke took the time to clean the kitchen up and make a list of the things he needed to price.

Reid was back then in a pair of shorts and an old faded Harvard chess t-shirt.

Luke just stared at him.

Reid narrowed his eyes.

"What? I can't wear pants because they don't fit over the cast."

"No, there's nothing wrong with what you're wearing. I just think it's unfair how good you look even dressed like that."

"Well it's an art looking this good, and besides, you would look just as good in it and you know it."

Luke blushed shyly and opened the door.

Luke handed Reid a fleece pullover jacket and then pushed him out the door.

"Well, maybe if you behave today, I'll model it for you tonight."

"I'd rather see you with nothing on between my legs."

Luke's face which was already flushed turned even redder.

Reid looked up at Luke and held back a snort of laughter.

He could feel Luke arrange himself behind the seat and he grinned facetiously up at Luke and winked.

"You're impossible."

"No, I'm horny and my boyfriend is withholding sex."

Reid pouted as Luke finally maneuvered his chair to the car.

"Come on, gimpy. It's time to go pick out colors."

"Whatever you say, dear."

0000

An hour later after wavering between Kelly Green and Office green, Reid was ready to lose his mind.

"Luke, just pick one. They look exactly the fucking same."

"But, in the light they are different."

"Luke, if you don't pick one, I'm going to go take my wheelchair and go play in traffic. It will be far more fun than spending the last hour in here with you wavering over a fucking color chip."

"REID!" Luke's face was stricken. "Don't even joke about that!"

Reid could see Luke's face starting to cloud over and to save himself from the tear-filled fight he was sure they were about have he simply pointed at the paint chip in his left hand.

"I like that one. It reminds me of lettuce."

Luke was stunned into silence, and then slowly grinned.

"See, was that so hard, Reid?"

Reid just shook his head. He knew he had his strategy set for life. Just pick one, to make Luke happy. He would not be stuck for hours on end and Luke would be so appreciative he contributed that he'd get rewarded.

Luke went about picking out pillows and curtains and lamps. Finally they came to three rows filled with nothing but rugs.

Reid saw something that caught his eye.

It was a rug that had brown, green, and beige flecks in it.

He pointed at it.

"That one, Luke."

Luke walked over and pulled it out.

He nearly fell over from the weight of the thing.

It was the largest rug either of them had ever seen. It looked abstract almost with the various colors and patterns. Reid reached out and felt it. It was soft and plush and he was in heaven.

"I want that one."

Luke looked at the price tag.

"It's $2,000!"

"I don't care. I want it."

"So this you care about? You don't care about the colors of the wall, but the color of the rug you have to have a say in?"

"Well, I figure I'll be seeing a lot of this rug in the future. So I may as well like it. Plus I'm thinking of you, because it's soft. You can be obsessed about the color of the ceiling as it's the thing you're going to be focused on. I would even be okay with a mural of myself on the ceiling for you to concentrate on."

Luke was crimson now.

"Oh, really, Reid? You think I am the only one that's going to be on his back looking at the ceiling?"

"Well, even if I am, I wouldn't have a problem seeing a picture of myself."

"You are unbelievable, Reid."

"Hey, I did everything you asked me to do today. And I even picked out something on my own. I think it's time for me to get that reward now."

"Reward, huh?" You think you deserve a reward? You were rude and snarky almost the entire time!"

"But, I nearly died. So you should be grateful for that."

Luke narrowed his eyes.

"You fight dirty."

"There are a lot of things I do dirty. Would you like to go home and find out about them?"

Luke rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but grin.

"Fine. Let's go get your reward."

Ten minutes later, Luke was spoon feeding Reid ice cream.

Reid was not happy.

"So, this is my reward? Ice cream. We had ice cream back at the apartment and I could've fed myself."

"What? You don't like your reward?"

Luke just grinned innocently at Reid and batted his eyelashes.

Reid knew Luke was messing with him.

"You know one of these days, I'm going to be out of the cast, and you're going to come to me, nearly begging for me to fulfill every last one of your sexual desires, and I'm going to say no. You want to play hard to get, let's play it."

"Oh, come on, Reid. Quit being a baby."

"How can I, when you insist on feeding me like one?"

Reid pouted the rest of the day.

When they finally arrived back at the apartment, Luke wheeled Reid into the living room.

Luke made Reid his favorite sandwich and even gave him an extra cookie.

But Reid refused to budge.

Finally, a few hours later of Luke trying to get Reid to talk to him, he walked over and wheeled Reid to the bathroom.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm giving you a bath before bed."

"No, I don't want you to touch me."

"Come on, Reid. Quit acting like a brat."

Luke had Reid's shirt of then.

He took a washcloth and some liquid soap.

He lathered up his chest and arms and then used lukewarm water to wash.

He gently brushed over his bruised ribs, careful not to get any of his stitches wet.

He gently pressed into his side to ask if it hurt in various spots.

Reid just shook his head.

He bit his lips as he felt Luke brush over his nipples.

He grabbed Luke's hand and kissed the inside of his wrist, then his palm.

He looked up at Luke who was returning his gaze of tenderness and love.

He reached up just as Luke was reaching down, and their lips met.

They kissed passionately, with Luke's hands tangling through Reid's hair.

Then Reid was tugging Luke closer and finally pulled him down in his lap.

Hands were everywhere, roaming over bodies, feeling skin, and tugging hair.

Then Luke moved his hands lower to tug down Reid's shorts.

He was finally free and Luke continued running the washcloth over Reid.

When he felt the cool cloth graze the tip of his cock, he hissed and bucked up to meet Luke's touch.

Then the cloth was gone, and was replaced by Luke's warm hand.

His fingertips wrapped around him and started working.

Reid nearly bit through his lip to keep from crying out.

Luke looked innocently up at him.

Reid couldn't handle it anymore and tore his shirt up and over his head.

He pulled Luke's face back to his and kissed him.

Then Luke was sliding off him and in a kneeling position.

He helped Reid out of the chair and on to the chair in the bathroom.

He moved Reid's good leg farther over and then settled between his legs.

Luke removed his own boxers and he was finally naked.

Reid looked down to see Luke staring at him through long black eyelashes, pink cheeks, and cherry red lips.

He looked almost cherubic, and he groaned.

Then Luke's tongue was out and tasting Reid.

Reid willed his hips to remain still.

Then Luke moved closer and took even more of Reid in.

Reid's hands moved to Luke's head and he started to move gently.

The only sounds heard in the bathroom were moans of pleasure.

It didn't take long, especially when Luke reached up and started massaging Reid's testicles, and Reid was spilling down the back of Luke's throat. He was still shuddering, when he felt Luke release him.

Luke finished cleansing him and redressing them.

Then he was being helped into bed.

Reid could see that Luke was still hard and motioned for Luke to join him on the bed.

He pulled Luke's boxers back down, and then pulled Luke up his body, so that his hard and leaking cock was rubbing up it.

Finally he told Luke to straddle his face.

Luke resisted, but Reid assured him that he was fine and more than willing to return the favor.

Then Luke dragged himself up even farther, so that his arms were up against the wall on top of the bed and his cock dragging across Reid's closed lips.

Reid had a perfect view of Luke's face which was a mix of pain, lust, and pleasure.

His eyes were tightly closed and his forehead down as he braced himself against the wall.

Then Reid opened his mouth and took Luke in.

He watched as Luke's face changed to pure unadulterated pleasure and he heard his strangled cry.

The entire time Reid worked on Luke he watched his face.

He saw what he did to make him come completely unglued, until his legs and arms were shaking and his forehead was dripping sweat.

Then his fingers found their way into Luke and Luke completely lost it. His eyes flew open and rolled back in his head, his body locked in place, and Reid could feel the warm, salty liquid splashing in his mouth.

He waited until Luke relaxed. He licked around his head a few more times and then released Luke.

Had Reid not been holding him up, Luke would've slid down and right off the bed.

He pulled Luke to himself and tugged his head back so he could look in his face.

Luke looked completely blissed out.

"I love you."

Luke blinked slowly and grinned,

"I love you too."

Then Reid was kissing Luke everywhere. His face, his neck, his chest.

Luke finally came around and forced his tongue in Reid's mouth.

They kissed for a few seconds, just enjoying being in each other's arms.

Then Reid lifted Luke's head back up again. He smoothed out the lines on Luke's face, and the dark circles under his eyes.

"You need to take better care of yourself, Luke."

Luke blushed and tucked his head into Reid's chest.

"I'm just a little tired. Nothing that a few hours of sleep won't fix."

"Regardless, I don't want to lose you. So let's make a pact that we both are more careful in the future. I would even give up that extra slice of bacon for you."

Reid could feel Luke grin into his chest.

"Deal."

Reid laid his head back on the pillow then, thinking it had been one of the most fun days of his life, even if he only did achieve three out of the four things on his list, but then definitely thought that one of them could be considered a sport, considering how creative they had to be with him in a cast. He grinned and finally closed his eyes. It had been a great day.


	39. Chapter 39

Reid was sitting at the kitchen table the next morning reading the paper, when Luke walked out of the bedroom.

"Hey, how's Garfield?"

"Being rude to John. I love it."

"You would."  
Reid looked up.

"You look hot. Where are you going?"

"I have meetings all day, and then I need to talk to Amber at the hospital and check on Ali."

"You're leaving me?"

"I have to, Reid."

Luke saw something flash in Reid's eyes.

"Just because I am going out, doesn't mean you can get up. Faith is coming over here any minute now and will watch you for the day."

"You seriously got me a babysitter?"

"Well if I thought I could trust you to follow Bob's orders, I wouldn't need to."

"Whatever. As long as she stays out of my food, I'm fine."

"Faith is a vegetarian, Reid. You should be safe."

"I should hide my cheese to be safe."

"I almost wish I could stay here and witness this."

"Witness what?"

"You try to pull this crap with Faith."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing. But there is a reason I asked her to watch you."

"Should I be worried?"

"You know how worried you were about Lewis? Well let's say Faith is 10 times worse."

Reid's eyes grew.

"Luke, you can't leave me with her."

"You'll be fine as long as you don't anger her, and try not to make any sudden movements. She's seen war."

Reid looking increasingly terrified nearly had a heart attack when the doorbell rang.

Luke tried to bite his lip to keep from laughing.

"Hey, Faith. Thanks for agreeing to this."

"No, problem. I'm gonna be doing work online most of the day anyways. So it wasn't a big deal."

"Hey, Reid."

"Faith."

Reid refused to look at Faith.

"Okay, Luke, what is going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why is Reid acting like someone kicked his puppy?"

"He's just mad that I am going to work and got him a babysitter."

"Aww, poor baby, Reid. Tell you what, if you behave, I'll let you color later."

"Fuck you, Faith."

Reid's head was up then and flashing fire.

Luke just shook his head.

"Seriously, I would much rather stay here and watch this."

Luke walked over to where Reid was sitting.

"I'll be back in a few hours, and don't forget we have dinner with Amber and Casey later."

He dropped a kiss on his lips and resisted when Reid tried to pull him into his lap.

"Quit trying to ruin my clothes."

"Quit wearing your clothes, then."  
Faith just groaned in disgust.

"Don't you have somewhere to get, Luke, like your job?"

"Shut up, Faith. Leave your brother alone."

"Reid, I seriously have to go."

Finally, Luke disentangled himself and was out the door.

Six hours later he was finally pulling into the hospital parking lot.

As he made his way to Amber's room he ran across Bob and Chris who both asked about Reid.

"I assure you, Reid is behaving himself. I've threatened multiple times and right now Faith is watching him to make sure he doesn't injure himself."

Bob grinned and wished him luck.

As he walked into Amber's room, Casey was asleep with his feet propped up on her bed and the remote dangling from his hands.

Amber just grinned as she watched him sleep.

She waved him in and quietly whispered to him.

"Isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen?"

"Yeah, like an overgrown puppy."

"So, heard anything?"

"Nope. I was actually hoping you or Casey had more information about Ali."

"Nope. She still hasn't woken up, and her mom and Emily are considering taking her off life support."

"You've got to be kidding. How's Casey dealing with it?"

"He doesn't know. I haven't broken it to him yet."

"This is not happening."

"I don't know. Ali and I have never gotten along, but I don't want her dead. It just doesn't seem real."

"Okay, well I am going to go check on Emily and Susan. I'll be back on my way through to see you before you get released."  
"Hopefully by then Casey will be awake."

Luke headed down the hall.

He finally found Ali's room and saw Emily and Susan huddled around the bed.

"Hey is this a bad time?"

Emily looked up with tear stained cheeks.

"Luke?"  
"Hi, I was just visiting Amber and she told me the news."

"Please come in. Ali loved you a lot. You were one of the few friends she had left after Casey and she broke up. I know she appreciated you."

Luke made his way over to the bed. Alison looked ghostly white and frail as the machines kept her breathing and her heart beating.

He took one of her hands.

"Oh, Ali. I didn't want this. Why did this have to happen to you?"

Susan and Emily left the room then telling him they'd be back in a few minutes.

He sat down and held her hand.

"I am so sorry that I got you into this mess. I promise you if you wake up, I'll do everything I can to make sure the person responsible is taken care of."

He sat in silence as he watched her breathe, willing her to wake up and say something disparaging against Casey or Amber.

He finally kissed her cheek and promised to check in on her again.

He walked out just in time to see Amber being released.

"Did you tell him?"

"Yeah, he's headed there right now to sit with her for a bit."

"I'm sorry, Amber. It can't be easy for you."

"It's fine, besides I have our big dinner tonight to look forward to."

"Yes, you do."

Luke bid her farewell and headed home.

He loved thinking about his new home.

He finally arrived and used his key in the door.

He opened it to see the kitchen a mess, and the living room not much better.

He had no idea where Faith or Reid was.

Finally he heard giggling coming from the bathroom.

"What in the hell is going on in there?"

"Your sister is trying to teach me how to develop film."

"Trying to being the key phrase."

Finally the door opened and Reid wheeled out. He had liquid all over him.

"That was actually fun."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself with my sister while I was at work."

"Oh, and by the way I invited Faith to join us for dinner tonight."

"Oh, you did?"

"Yeah, she told me about her and Gabriel and I told her she should invite him and join us for dinner. Besides, I'd rather have someone to talk to besides dumb blonde and annoying journalist."  
"They have names, Reid. Casey and Amber."

"Whatever. At least Faith isn't completely trivial."

"Well we have two hours to get ready before we meet."

Faith finished cleaning up the bathroom as Luke and Reid argued over what Reid could or not could wear for the dinner.

Faith peeked her head into the bedroom.

"I'm heading back to the apartment to get ready. Thanks for the invitation!"

Reid held up the shirts and asked her opinion.

She chose the left one.

"I told you that was the one I should wear!"

"Fine, Reid. Wear the muscle shirt that is completely inappropriate for the Lakeview."

"Oh come on. I look hot in this and you know it. And maybe if I look hot enough that cute waiter there will give us free food."

"Yeah, because I need to be given free food when I am a millionaire."

"I'm wearing the shirt."

"Fine."

Luke stalked into the bathroom and slammed the door.

He stood under the scalding hot water as it stung his skin

He turned the shower head of full blast and felt the streams working on the tight knots in his back.

He heard the door open and heard Reid brushing his teeth.

He heard silence then and looked around the shower curtain to see Reid's hand reaching toward the toilet.

"I swear to God if you flush that, I am moving back to my apartment."

Reid reached his hand back.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

Reid finally just sighed and wheeled out of the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later he was standing in the room looking at his clothes.

He had a towel wrapped around his waist.

He felt a hand tugging on his towel.

"Stop, Reid. We do not have time for this."

"We have time and we are taking it, because you are in a pissy mood."

"And you think it will help me?"

"It can't hurt to try."

Luke just sighed and allowed Reid to push him on the bed.

Reid grabbed Luke's cock and started jerking slowly.

Luke couldn't help but moan and buck into Reid's fist.

It was slow and lethargic. Then Reid added a twisting motion and started going faster.

The buildup started in his abdomen and spread out until he was moaning Reid's name and spilling over Reid's hand and his stomach.

Reid grabbed his abandoned dirty t-shirt and cleaned Luke up.

"Okay. Get ready. I'll be waiting for you."

Reid left the room then.

Luke lay on the bed for a few minutes as his breathing returned to normal and he calmed down.

He finally stood up and chose dark dress pants and a light blue dress shirt.

He fixed his hair and reminded himself to get his hair cut.

He finally stepped out.

Reid was wearing his skin tight v necked t-shirt and his black jeans that showed off his ass and legs.

He is out of the wheelchair resting on crutches.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I got clearance!"

"What?"

"Yeah, I called Bob and asked him if it was okay if I used the crutches tonight."

"And he said yes?"

"Yep. He also had Doogie drop these off for me."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with you being out of the chair."

"Well, I am more comfortable. I need to get back on my feet, and I have clearance. So bite me."

Luke watched as Reid maneuvered around furniture on the crutches. His biceps and triceps rippled as he moved and Luke couldn't help but stare at Reid's ass as he moved through the apartment.

"If you're done checking me out, Luke, we need to get to the restaurant."

Luke blushed and grinned.

"I can't help it, you're so damn hot."

Fifteen minutes later, Reid was powering his way through the restaurant on the way to their table.

He suddenly stopped short.

Luke nearly crashed into him.

"What the hell, Reid?"

"We need to leave."

"Why?"

"Just come on. I don't want to be here."

Luke stepped around Reid to see his parents sitting at a table in the corner.

"When is the last time you talked to them?"

"The night Jack broke up with me."

"Reid, don't let them ruin your evening. We are eating our dinner with our friends. "

"You're right. They aren't worth it."

Reid sat down with his back to his parents and ordered two beers.

Amber and Casey showed up then and entertained Luke with stories of trying to get into Amber's apartment and having the landlord thinking Casey was breaking in.

Reid even got a chuckle out of that story, and Gabriel and Faith showed up a few minutes later.

Luke looked over to see Reid actually relaxing and enjoying himself.

He rubbed his Reid's neck and ran his finger through the curls at the base.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Luke's mom get up in disgust and walk over to them.

He immediately dropped his hand, but Reid grabbed it and kissed his palm and smiled at him.

Reid's mom stormed past without acknowledging either of them.

His father however stopped and Luke could tell he wanted to say something.

Instead he heard Emily shrilly screeching at him and he walked away with shoulders slumped.

Luke looked over to see the same reaction in Reid.

He squeezed his hand in apology.

Reid dropped his napkin in his plate.

"I'm so glad that you are doing well Amber, but I am exhausted. So I'm going to head home."

Luke pushed his chair back and stood up to help Reid.

"You don't have to help me, Luke. I promise I'm going straight home to sleep. Scouts honor."

"No, it's fine. I want to go with you."

The drive back to the apartment was silent.

Then Reid was inside and made his way to the bedroom.

He undressed in silence and changed into pajamas.

Nothing was said between them as Luke rubbed Reid's back as he lay in bed and tried to sleep.

There were no words necessary. Luke simply held Reid as he fell asleep. He hated what his parents did to him in high school and still continued to do him. He was determined to do something about it.


	40. Chapter 40

One month later Luke was sitting at the kitchen table working on a layout for the newspaper, when his cellphone rang.

He quickly answered it hoping it wouldn't wake up Reid.

"Hey, mom. What's up?"

"Luke, I'm so glad I could catch you. Is this a good time for you to talk?"

"Sure, I guess. Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing like that. I was just calling you to remind you that Thanksgiving is a few weeks away."

"And…?"

"And I wanted to remind you."

"Mom. I have been going to the farm for thanksgiving since I was born. I don't think I would forget."

"Well, I just wanted to give you time to ask Reid to come along."

"I wouldn't hold your breath on that one, Mom. Reid does not like holidays or large gatherings."

"Well I think you should ask him anyways. It would be good for him and besides your family would love to meet him."

"In case you forgot mom, he lived here for sixteen years before he moved away."

"Just humor me, please."

"Fine. I'll ask him, but I am not promising anything."

"Thank you, honey. It really means a lot to me."

Luke hung up the phone just as Reid hobbled out to the kitchen.

"So, are you ready to go with me?"

"Go where?"

"To the hospital. I can finally get the cast off."

"Wow, I can't believe it's that time already. It seems really soon."

"Soon? You call going over a month without actual sex or proper hygiene soon?"

"Relax, Reid. You will get the cast off, just give me an hour to finish this and we'll go."

Reid sighed dramatically and stomped his way toward the living room.

"You know that acting like a petulant brat won't make me go any faster, Reid."

All Luke could see was the finger Reid flipped him as he went into the other room.

He could hear the TV go on a few minutes later and went back to work.

He finally finished and got changed.

When he finally made his way to the living room, Reid was stretched out on the couch watching television.

Luke sat down on the far edge of the couch and watched in silence.

"So, what are we watching?"

"A medical show with hot doctors."

"Really?"

"Which one would that be?"

"I don't know the name of it, Luke. You had it on the dvr."

"Grey's Anatomy? You're watching Grey's Anatomy?"

"I guess."

"I can't believe you're watching this."

"Well it was this or People's Court. I'll take the hot doctors."

"So which doctors are you talking about?"

"Well there is the one with the great hair and striking blue eyes. I call him Dr. Hair."

"McDreamy."

"What?"

"His nickname on the show is McDreamy."

"That's a lame nickname."

"Oh, and Doctor Hair is better?"

"Anyways. There is the other doctor with the graying hair and chiseled face. He seems to sleep with anything that moves. I once had an intern like him. Very open to experimenting. He's Dr. Slut."

"I'll give you that one."

"What does he not have a nickname?"

"It's McSteamy."

"Sounds like a very bad cup of McDonald's coffee."

"So you find Dr. Slut and Dr. Hair the hottest?"

"Oh, not by a long shot. My personal favorite is Dr. Bitchy. He's got such great sarcasm, not to mention he's hot."

"Are you talking about Dr. Karev?"

"Again, with the names, Luke. I don't know names. The only other doctor I like is Dr. Twink, cause he's hot, young, and nice to look at, but far too stupid to be worthwhile."

"Wow, you are shallow."

"No, I'm just honest."

"Well, I have a suggestion for your nickname, since you're a hot doctor and all."

"Yeah, what is that?"

"How about, McPrick?"

"Oh, I like that, but I'm sure Reid Jr. would like that name better."

"I'm not calling your penis, McPrick, Reid."

"Why not? It can be a real jerk if you know what I mean."

Luke couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Are you ready to go?"

"I want to finish this show."

"I still can't believe you are watching this."

"You're the one who dvred it. I have never complained about you filling up my dvr with your glee episodes and rewatching them three or four times. And really, Luke, I get it that Puck is 'so hot' and all, but for the last time I'm not cutting my hair into a fauxhawk or shaving my head."

"Your dvr huh? I thought it was our dvr, since I'm moving in and all."

"Yeah, well, you still haven't moved your stuff in and it's been nearly two months since I asked you."

"Just because I haven't brought my cds and DVDs over, doesn't mean I don't live here. I've cooked you bacon and eggs nearly every morning for those two months, giving you baths, helped you go to the bathroom, and redecorated the entire place!"

"Fine. Our dvr. Can we go now please? I'd like to get this cast off sometime this century."

They rode in silence to the hospital. Luke helped Reid inside and to an empty seat.

"Okay, I'm going to leave you here while you're waiting for the appointment. I need to go check on Alison. I'll be back soon though."

Luke dropped a kiss on Reid's cheek and headed deeper into the hospital.

He arrived at her room to see Susan and Emily pacing in the hallway. He looked in to see multiple doctors around Alison's bed working on her.

"What happened? Is she okay?"

Emily quickly made her way over to Luke and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"You will never believe what happened today. She woke up. Out of the blue while mom was reading Robinson Crusoe to her. She asked for some water and meatloaf and then slipped back into unconsciousness. The doctors are working on her now to see if they can pull her back out."

"Oh my God! That's wonderful news! I am so relieved! I'm here with Reid right now getting his cast removed, but I will be back later to talk to Alison once she's recuperated and alert! I'm so happy that she finally woke up!"

"We all are, Luke. This has been a really hard time for all of us. Good luck with Reid."

"Thank you Emily."

Luke headed back down the hall and finally found Reid's exam room.

Reid had his cast off and was standing on one leg balancing.

His rehab specialist kept throwing exercises at him and Reid did everyone.

Then she asked him to do one more thing.

She led him out into the hallway.

Luke ducked around a corner.

"I need for you to skip down the hall and back to me."

"No way in hell."

"Sorry, Dr. Oliver, but if you don't I can't clear you to go back to work."

"I do not care. I'm not doing it."

Luke finally made his presence known.

"Reid just do it. The sooner you do, the sooner we can go home."

Luke put the emphasis on the word home and looked pointedly at Reid who knew what he was implying instantly.

"You know what, Luke. If I wasn't so damn horny and didn't want to end that dry spout, I'd tell you to go home and fuck yourself."

"But you're not going to do that are you?"

Reid just glowered at Luke and skipped down the hallway.

Luke could not pass that opportunity up and pulled his phone out.

He took video proof of it, and as he turned around and skipped back he pulled a ten dollar bill out and handed it to Reid's specialist.

Reid's jaw dropped and he instantly knew he had been set up.

He simply stopped, walked the rest of the way and held out his hand.

The clearance was finally in his hand. He stormed down the hallway without a glance back at Luke or his specialist.

Luke silently laughed the entire way out of the hospital.

The drove in silence until Luke offered to take Reid to lunch.

They walked into Al's and Reid immediately ordered a cheeseburger platter, an extra plate of fries, and two milkshakes.

Luke ordered pancakes and eggs.

As they waited for their food, Reid finally spoke up.

"I hope you realize that it will take more than a simple lunch for you to make up for what you did to me."

"This lunch has nothing to do with that."

"Oh, so what do you want then?"

"What makes you think I want anything?"

"You always butter me up by giving me food. You know that I'm a sucker for food and I'll pretty much agree to anything when I'm eating."

"Well I may as well just say it."

"You may as well."

"As you know Thanksgiving is coming up."

Reid had just about taken a bite of his burger and dropped it on the plate.

"And?"

"And I was hoping that even despite your hatred of all things holiday and family, you'd make an exception for me and for my family."

"Luke, come one. You know how I feel about this."

"Reid, just listen to me. My entire family adores you. My mom bought you a winter jacket because she thought you were going to freeze to death, my dad always makes sure he catches extra fish so he can give you some, Faith adores you and the time you spend together, Natalie and Ethan worship you. Emma feeds you and always makes extra so you can take some home, and Lucinda is always offering you use of her private jet! They all adore you!"

"It's not that I don't appreciate your family, Luke, or that I don't love them. I do appreciate everything they have done for me. It's just that it depresses me, okay. I never had my own family to spend holidays with. Yeah, I have your family and I had Steve's in college, but it's not the same Luke. I'm afraid that if I did come, I'd just bring everyone down with my lack of enthusiasm."

"You'll bring down my Thanksgiving if you don't come, Reid. I want to show you off to my family. Besides, Grandma Emma will be making: Turkey, Ham, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, Yams, Rolls, Turkey and Beef Gravy, Cranberry salad, Apple Salad, Broccoli Salad, Pecan Pie, Caramel Apple Pie, Vermont Cheddar Apple Pie, Apple pie, Peanut Butter pie, Squash Pie, Sweet Potato Pie, and Pumpkin Pie."

Reid's face went slack with shock as he watched Luke describe the foods being served.

"Okay. I'll come. On one condition."

"Which is?"

"I can wear a pair of pants with elastic in the waistband."

Luke laughed and agreed.

"Deal. Now, let's finish lunch and I promise this afternoon, I'll move the rest of my stuff in and we can celebrate later tonight properly."


	41. Chapter 41

Reid walked into his apartment to seen stuff strewn all around the apartment.

He knew Luke was in the process of moving in, but it had been two weeks since he had started.

"Only a few boxes, my ass" he said under his breath as he kicked a box out of his way.

"Luke, where are you?"

Luke popped his head up from behind a stack of boxes in the living room.

"I'm just putting away my cds and dvds, but I figure we'll probably have doubles of everything."

Luke held up a Michael Buble cd.

"I don't like Michael Buble."

"What?"

"How can any gay man hate Michael Buble?"

"The kind that has good taste?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"No. I also don't like Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, or Lady Gaga."

"How in the world did we never know this about each other?'

Luke sat down and promptly burst into tears,

"We have nothing in common! Why are we even together?"

Reid tried to keep a straight face.

"Luke, calm down. We don't have to be twins. It's nice having things that are different. It means a wide variety of films and music to listen to. It would be boring if loved the exact same things, and it's fun learning about each other, right?"

"I guess." Luke was still sitting in the middle of the floor with tears streaming down his face.

"Would it make you feel better if I took you out for sushi and we watched High School Musical again?"

"But you hate both of those things."

"I love you more than I hate them."

"Wow. You are willing to eat food you hate because you love me?"

"I never said I hated it. I said I prefer my meat cooked so as not to get bacterial infections or viruses."

"You're such a nerd."

"And you're a drama queen. Now let's go before I change my mind."

Two hours later they were back in the apartment.

Reid was moving his books over and helping Luke put his books on the shelf.

"Get Fuzzy? Seriously, Luke?"

"What can I say? I like the sarcastic cat. He's funny."

"You liking someone sarcastic? I don't believe it!"

Luke leaned over and kissed Reid and grabbed the books from his hands,

"You may as well just go make yourself a snack and watch TV or something if you're going to make fun of me all night."  
"I promise to behave. Scout's honor."

"You were never a boy scout."

"Actually I was for two days, but then I made another boy cry because he didn't know how to use the compass."

"How old were you?"

"Seven."

"Seriously? You made fun of a seven year old for not knowing how to use a compass?"

"I could!"

"You were also a boy genius, Reid."

"That's no excuse. Anyways, my parents withdrew me and put me in chess tournaments at least my opponents didn't cry when they lost."

"Wow. What a tremendous childhood you had."

"It actually wasn't all that bad, until my parents realized how good I was and I was basically gone every weekend until I turned 12 to go to chess tournaments so my parents could get the money. I finally told them enough was enough when I turned 12."

"How did I not know any of this?"

"Probably because at that point I thought you were annoying and childish and I didn't want anything to do with you."

"And now?"

"Well I still think that, but now I can't go a day without you. You ruined me, Luke."

"Very funny."

Reid helped Luke unpack the final box and set it in the hallway.

"So, now that you're all moved in, what would you like to do?"

"Honestly? I'd like to sit on the couch and watch a movie with you, and then go to bed."

"Oh."

Reid was disappointed. He was hoping they'd christen the apartment and then eat large sandwiches and then rechristen it again.

Luke starting laughing then,

"I'm kidding Reid. Wow, you look like someone kicked your puppy."

Reid looked up and smiled as Luke dragged him to his office where the giant sturdy cherry desk had been delivered just hours before.

Three hours later Reid was lying on the kitchen floor with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and honey dripping on him from the counter.

"Wow."

Reid looked over to see Luke wearing a sloppy grin, with his shirt half torn; his hair messed up, and with a streak of chocolate sauce running down the side of his cheek.

"What?"

"That was unbelievable."

"I know. I told you it was the best."

"No, really, wow. I am still in shock."

"You should really listen to me when it comes to food and sex."

"I guess so. I am so spent I can't move."

Reid struggled to his feet and held his hand out to Luke.

He helped Luke to the shower and drew a bath for him.

He helped Luke into it and turned to leave.

"You're not going to join me?"

"We both know where that would lead, Luke, and both of us are far too exhausted for that kind of physical activity."

"I promise to behave. Scouts honor!"

"Now where did I hear that before?"

"Seriously, get in. You're filthy."  
"Well maybe if you hadn't insisted on squeezing have the bottle of honey on me."

"You tasted delicious though."

"Even more so than usual?"

"Yes you arrogant asshat. Now get in before the water gets cold and all the bubbles are gone."

That night both of them slept better than they had in weeks.

The next morning they were awoken by the sound of Luke's cellphone ringing.

Luke felt the phone hit him in the face and knew Reid had thrown it at him.

"Hello?" Luke managed to squeeze out behind his hazy eyes and brain.

"Luke! Just wanted to remind you to bring the pies to Thanksgiving dinner later!"

"Oh my gosh. I completely forgot about it. Is that today?"

"Yes. Luke, quit freaking out, all you have to do is pick them up from Meg. Grandma Emma bake two more pies since we are having such a large gathering this year and she didn't have enough room in her oven. So just stop by Meg's and get the pies. Okay?"

"Fine. What time are we eating?"

"We eat at two every year, Luke."

"Yeah, sorry, I just woke up."  
"Okay, I'll talk to you later, oh and tell Reid to bring his appetite. There is way more food than our family can eat."  
"I'm not going to tell him that, mom because he probably will eat it all just because you said he could."

"See you in a few hours, honey."

"Later, mom."

Luke rolled over smacked Reid over the head with his pillow.

He heard a groan and then saw Reid slowly turn.

"What the hell was that for?"

"I was just returning the favor. It's not nice being woken up with things in your face, right?"

"I beg to differ. I very much enjoy certain things being in my face in the morning."

"Must you make everything so dirty?"

"Yes."

"My mom called to remind us to stop at Meg's and get the extra pie for Thanksgiving dinner later."

"Your crazy aunt?"

"My aunt is not crazy, okay. She is doing much better now.

"Whatever. I'll just stay in the car while you go talk to Lizzie Borden."

"She is not that bad, Reid."

Reid just closed his eyes and rolled back over.

"No, you don't get to go back to bed."

"Why the hell not? I took a stupid holiday off for you; the least you can do is let me sleep in on it."

"Come on, Reid. This is our first thanksgiving together! We're going to eat French toast and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Then we're going to go outside and play flag football with my cousins, then we're going to cut the Hubbard Squash, and then we'll eat."

"We're cutting the what now?"

"The Hubbard squash."

"What the hell is the Hubbard Squash?"

"Every year as a family we slice a squash. It's just a tradition that we do, but we all look forward to it, and we usually bestow the honor on a new guest. And since that would be you, we have to be there for it."

"So I have to cut a squash for thanksgiving? What kind of tradition is this?"

"Come on Reid, it'll be fun, plus you can wow everyone with your wonderful technique with the hands of the greatest neurosurgeon in the world."

"Well I can never pass down an opportunity to astound."

"Good. Now come on. Let's go eat some French toast."


	42. Chapter 42

As Luke and Reid pulled into the farm, they could see the kids outside playing football already.

Reid stared in astonishment out the window, okay, where did all these kids come from? I only recognize Ethan, and Natalie.

"Okay, the little brown haired girl is Paul and Meg's daughter, Eliza. Meg is my aunt on my dad's side."

"You mean, Lizzie Borden. "

"The little girl with the light brown hair playing with Natalie is Sage. She is Carly and Jack's daughter."

"You are telling me that, that succubus who accosted me at the gala spawned something that cute?"

Luke burst out laughing.

"Yes, Carly and Jack produced something that cute. And I would love for you to call Carly that to her face."

"Okay well who are the others?"

"Okay the boy with the dark, shaggy hair is J.J., also Jack and Carly's son. He was adopted though. And the skinny, tall boy standing off to the side is Daniel. He is Tom Hughes and Emily's son."

"Has everyone in this town slept with everyone else?"

"Pretty much. Except for me."

"Oh, poor you. Not being a manwhore. I truly feel bad for you."

"Shut up, Reid."

"So are all these people related to you?"  
"Well, no. Daniel is here because Paul and Emily are now married, but they bring Eliza to our Thanksgiving every year, so she can be a part of our family traditions. Jack is my dad's cousins, so they are Snyders."

"Wow, so how many people are going to be at this thing?"

Luke placed a reassuring hand on Reid's leg.

"It will be fine, Reid, I promise. Besides, once you see all the food, you will forget all about your worries."

Reid still looked apprehensive as they made their way into the house with the pies.

As soon as they made their way into the kitchen, they were greeted by hugs, handshakes, and kisses.

Emma was so pleased to see her pies, she hugged Reid tight.

"I'm so glad you could join us this year, Dr. Oliver."

"You can call me Reid, Mrs. Snyder."

"And you can call me Emma."

They grinned at each other, and Luke who was off to the side talking to Parker about the case, couldn't help but swell up with pride at how well his boyfriend was doing.

Holden and Jack announced it was time to cut the squash, and Luke stepped forward and grabbed Reid's hand.

"I'm so proud of you, Reid. You are doing great. Everyone is smitten by you, even the succubus."

Luke looked up adoringly at his boyfriend who burst out laughing.

"Careful, Luke. I'm beginning to rub off on you."

"Well if you play your cards right today, you probably will be able to later tonight."  
This time Reid couldn't hold back the loud laughter.

Everyone turned to look at them and Luke blushed prettily and smiled.

Lily just laughed and turned back to mashing the potatoes.

When the squash had finally been brought in, there was a big ceremony on who would cut the squash that day. Luke had explained to Reid they would argue for five minutes about who should do it, then turn to the newest member of the family and have them do it.

So when Jack turned to Reid and held out the knife, he stood up and grabbed it.

He approached it as if it were the most important surgery he had ever done.

He was meticulous and made the cut perfect and precise.

Emma, Jack, and Holden stared at him in wonder.

"You can barely tell he even cut the squash at all!"

Reid, who was not a blusher, blushed. It was strange to hear praise from a family, when growing up he had never had that. Maybe holidays weren't so bad after all.

Food was served then, and Reid was so excited to try all the foods and especially the pie.

Just as he was about to take his first bite of pumpkin pie, the door opened.

Reid dropped his fork on his plate in shock.

In walked his parents, Steve, and Kennedy.

Luke jumped up immediately.

"I'm so glad you guys could make it! The instructions weren't too hard to follow were they?"

"Your instructions were great, Luke. Thanks for inviting us."

Kennedy made her way over to where Luke and Reid were sitting.

"Hey big brother, no hug for your favorite sister?"

Reid was jolted out of his shock.

"You're my only sister Kennedy, and I don't do hugs."

"Oh I see how it is, you can hug your boyfriend, but not your sister. Thanks a lot."

"I'm pretty sure you don't want me to hug you the way I hug Luke."

"Really, Reid? Thanks for that mental image."

Reid stood up and grabbed his sister. He gave her a giant hug that lifted her off her feet and put her back down."

"So where is my nephew?"

"He is with dad. Dad is getting him so potatoes and stuffing."

Steve was loading up massive plates and threw himself into a chair beside Luke.

"So, Luke. You finally shit. I'm so glad for you."

Luke nearly choked on his green beans.

"What?"

Steve just looked at him.

"Did you just say, I finally shit?"

"Yeah, as in shit or get off the pot. You finally shit. I'm so glad too. I was tired of having to talk to Reid about how sexually frustrated he was."

Luke stared at Steve.

"Reid told you what?"

"He told me how much he wanted your hot body next to his and how he couldn't have it, because you were stubborn and a jackass and I was at my limit of listening to my best friend, who I love dearly, talk about all the things he wanted to do to you. I can only handle so much."

Luke stared over at Reid who was still talking to Kennedy.

"Reid really said?"

"No, but I had you going there, didn't I?"

"How are you and Reid best friends?"

"Opposites attract what can I say?"

"Is this what I get to look forward to? You making up stories about Reid, me believing them, and you and Reid having a good laugh at me."

"Pretty much. But really, thank you for making Reid happy. The last time I talked to him he couldn't stop talking about you. I'm so glad I didn't have to come back and kick your ass."

"Me too."

"By the way, thank you for inviting us for Thanksgiving Dinner. I know Emily and Richard won't say it, but they do love Reid and it hurts them to not have him around for the holidays."

"Reid doesn't really talk about his family much, provided you and Kennedy and his nephew."

"Yeah, things have never been very good between Emily and Reid. I just think she had a very hard time accepting that he was gay, and that he wouldn't get married and have grandkids. Sometimes dreams are hard to give up. You should now that better than anyone."

"I guess. I just can't imagine driving your own child out of your life because of it."

"You and Reid will make fabulous parents someday Luke, and I'm sure you will love your children no matter what or who they are."

Luke nearly choked again.

Steve slapped his back.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just hadn't really thought about having kids with Reid. We are still in the honeymoon stage of our relationship."

"I know Reid thinks about it. He may never say it to you, but he is great with Preston and from what I hear from Katie, he's great with her kids and especially with your brother and sister."

"He is. Natalie is nearly as in love with him as I am. And she's very choosy about who she spends her time with."

"He will never tell you any of this though, because he doesn't want to scare you and push you away again."

"I have a hard time believing that, considering he told me that he has no desire to get married."

"Luke, I was there when that conversation happened. Believe me he wants to get married. He has wanted to get married since he was 19, of course the person he wanted to marry was acting like a twat. So yeah, he lied and said he didn't want to get married, to protect his heart."

"Did you seriously just call me a twat?"

"Yep. Quit changing the subject. You and Reid. Getting married. That's what we should be talking about."

"Okay first of all, Steve. I love Reid, will always love Reid, and will be with him until I die. There is no doubt in my mind that Reid and I belong together, we always did, and we always will, but I'm not going to just go out and marry him for the sake of marrying him. You say he wants to marry me and have kids with me, but I haven't had any of these conversations with him, and until I do, I'll be perfectly okay just having wild monkey sex with him in our apartment and being his boyfriend."

"Fine, have it your way, but I'm telling you, you are going to get married to him one day and have tons of little kids who act like Reid."

"Oh God, help us if that is true."

Steve just laughed and shoveled more food in his mouth.

Emily and Richard eventually joined their table with their food.

Emily sat across from Reid with Richard by her side across from Luke.

"So, Luke, how is the newspaper going?"

Luke was surprised to know that Richard even knew his name.

"It's going well actually. We are working on a major story that we're hoping to be able to publish soon."

"That's good to hear. Bob Hughes told me you were an exceptional reporter. I can't wait to read about it."

"Thanks."

Emily stared in stony silence at her food.

"Is the food alright, Mrs. Oliver?"

"It's fine, Mr. Snyder."

Luke stared at Reid who also stared in stony silence at his food.

"Would anyone else like a refill on their punch?"

Luke stood up and made his way to the buffet table.

He made his way back to the table to see Emily and Reid staring at each other.

"So, Reid. How is your job going? "

"It's going fine, Mother."

"That's good to hear. I'm glad at least one thing in your life is good."  
Reid's face started to redden and Luke knew he was about to lose his temper.

"What does that mean?"

"It means I'm happy that you're a doctor and you're doing well at your job."

"Because the rest of my life sucks?"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to. I see it written all over your face. So sad, because your son is gay and therefore must be miserable but at least he's a doctor, so he's worth something."

"I just don't understand why you can't at least try a relationship with a girl. How do you know you wouldn't like it?"

"Are you fucking kidding me? I'm gay, mother. Girls do nothing for me. You don't think I wondered what it would be like to fuck a girl? I did fuck a girl in college, just to see. It didn't work. I kept picturing Luke, okay? I'm gay, I have always been gay, and I will always be gay, and I will always be with Luke. I love him, I'm not going to stop, and my life is pretty fucking great, so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go spend the rest of this holiday at work, where I wanted to in the first place."

With that Reid stood up, threw his food in the garbage and left.

Luke immediately followed. He felt horrible.

"Reid, wait."

Reid stopped but refused to turn around.

"Please, Reid, look at me."

Reid slowly turned around to face Luke. He was crying.

Luke's heart shattered into a million pieces. He had not seen Reid cry since the night they broke up all those years ago.

Luke instinctively moved to comfort Reid. But Reid stopped him.

"Don't, Luke."

"But, I"

"I can't do this right now, okay. I need to go to work, the one thing I'm actually good at."

"Stop it, Reid. Don't let your mother get to you."

"Don't let her get to me? She wouldn't have gotten to me if you hadn't invited her here!"

"What?"

"Do you hate me, Luke? Is that what this is about? Are you still mad about what happened to us, or are you mad that I kissed Patrick, or are you mad that I moved on with different men? Is that why you would invite me to a holiday at your family, set me up to feel love and kindness and acceptance, only to have it crushed by my mother showing up and ruining yet another holiday for me?"

Luke couldn't form anything to say. He was in shock.

Reid continued with his barrage,

"Can I ask you something, Luke. Did you ever love me at all? Because for the life of me, I cannot fathom doing to you, what you just did to me. Is this what our relationship will always be like, you hurting me over and over and just expecting me to take it and forgive you? I can't do this anymore, Luke. I do love you and I will never stop, but we can't be together. It's too painful for me. I can only handle so much pain, Luke. I've reached my limit. I'm sorry.

Luke couldn't stop the tears that started to fall.

"But I love you."

He knew he sounded whiny and pathetic.

Reid stopped and turned back to him.

He gently held Luke's face in his hands.

"I know you believe that, Luke. But sometimes, love isn't enough."

"So this is it? We're done for good?"

"It's for the best, Luke. We just end up hurting each other when we're together."

"Please don't leave me again, Reid. Please."

Luke felt pathetic and childish, but the pressure on his heart was too much to bear. He couldn't lose Reid again. It would kill him.

"I have to go, Luke. I'm sorry."

With that, Reid walked to his car, got in and drove away.

Luke fell to the ground and wept.

He was angry at himself for believing that reuniting Reid with his parents was a good idea, at Emily for treating her son like dirt, and at Reid for giving up on them, again.

He walked back into the house, fixed his face and went back to his dinner.

He had lost his appetite though and pushed his food around his plate.

He could hear Emily and Kennedy talking about Christmas, and he let the anger and bitterness fester.

Finally he had enough.

"Will you just shut up? Talking about Christmas as if everything is okay and normal. The only reason I invited you here was to be with your son on Thanksgiving, and instead of being with him and enjoying the day, you ruined it."

Everyone stared at him in shock.

"You are clueless aren't you? Your son loves you Emily. His entire life he tried to gain your approval. He became a doctor, a neurosurgeon, he excelled at chess, he's a fricking genius for crying out loud, but none of that was good enough for you was it? You had to tear him down every chance you could. All because he loved someone you didn't want him to. Do you know how many nights in high school he moped in his bedroom because of something you said to him? How many nights still he mopes after he talks to you on the phone? All he ever wanted was to be loved and accepted for he was, but no, you couldn't do that because he was gay? And you were no better, Richard. Allowing Emily to emotionally and verbally abuse your son, all these years. Do you know what that did to him? It wasn't good. He felt unloved, unwanted, and a foreigner in his own home. The only person that cared was his sister, and thank God for her, because growing up in that house alone with the two of you would've killed him. And you wonder why Reid has problems opening up to people, trusting, and loving? Because you did that to him. He was a little boy who needed love and instead got ostracized and criticized daily by his own mother, the one person who was supposed to love and protect him. I'm telling you this though, you are done, Emily. If you cannot learn to love and accept your son for who he is, you will not be in his life. You don't think I can do that? Try me. I'm tired of you using him as an emotional punching bag. He doesn't deserve it. I'm by no means perfect and I've done incredibly shitty things, but I'm not letting him go another day thinking that no one really loves or cares about him, because I do. My family does, his friends do. You may be his biological parents, but you are a disgrace to the name of mother and father. Now get out of this house."

Luke was livid and shaking. Lily and Holden tried to calm him down but he just shook them off.

Emily and Richard both stared at him in shock and got up to leave.

Emily seemed about to say something as she left, but instead turned and walked out the door.

Luke grabbed his coat and started to leave.

He turned to Faith, who had just finished eating.

"Would you mind taking me home?"

"Sure."

"Luke, honey, are you sure…"

"I need to get out of here, mom. I'm sorry everyone. Please enjoy the rest of your thanksgiving."

Faith and Luke got in her car and drove toward town.

"What happened, Luke?"

"He dumped me."

"Oh my."

"He thinks I invited them to thanksgiving on purpose to ruin another holiday for him and humiliate him in front of my family. He thinks I never loved him and that I did it all as a revenge tactic."

"Did you?"

"Of course not! I would never do that to someone I love."

"Then show him how much you love him. Don't give up on him."

"He told me it was over for good and I believe him."

"I'm sorry, Luke. Do you need anything from me?"

"I need to stop and pick up some clothes from my apartment, do you mind if I crash at your place for a few days?"

"Of course not, it was after all your place for years."

"I know, but I moved out, so…"

"You, my dear brother can stay with me whenever you need to."

"Will Gabriel mind?"

"No, Gabriel just needs beer and wings to make him happy."

"Sounds like Reid."

They both laughed.

"It's so strange that we both end up with really guys guys."

"Okay, I love you brother, but I really do not want to compare boyfriends with you."

Luke sighed, boyfriends. Not anymore.

"I'm sorry, Luke. I wasn't thinking."

"No, it's okay, Faith. I'm going to have to get used to the fact that I no longer have a boyfriend. But hey, I had over ten years' experience with that, so I should be great at it."

Faith just squeezed his hand. They finally pulled up to the apartment complex.

Luke ran inside and grabbed a bag and threw clothes into it.

He went into the bathroom to grab his toothbrush.

Reid's was gone as well. So he had already been there.

He looked around to see that most of Reid's clothing was gone as well as his journals.

He went into the office, to see the entire desk cleaned off.

Reid really was gone.

He went back to the bedroom and curled up on the bed.

He cried himself to sleep.

When he woke up, he was covered with a blanket and had a cup of tea beside him.

He stood up and went into the living room.

Gabriel and Faith were sitting there watching It's a Wonderful Life on TV.

"Hey brother, are you feeling any better?"

"You didn't have to stay with me, Faith."

"Yes, I did. I couldn't have you spending the rest of the holiday alone."

"Seriously, I'm fine guys. I'm just going to take a hot shower, and go back to bed. I just need to grab something to eat first."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, really. Besides, I am in no mood to watch that particular movie tonight."

"Okay. Call me if you need anything and I mean it!"

"I promise."

Luke took his shower, threw on some jeans and a t-shirt and moped around the apartment.

He looked at the clock.

8:12 P.M.

He needed to get out of there desperately.

He threw on a leather jacket, grabbed his keys and headed to town.

He headed straight to Yo's.

He sat in the parking lot for a few minutes and finally headed inside.

Once inside he looked around to see only one other person there.

Craig Montgomery. Of course the only other loser in Oakdale would be there on Thanksgiving, instead of with his family.

He ordered a long island ice tea.

Once it arrived he stared at it. He sniffed it, swirled it around, and stared at it some more.

He finally pushed it away, ordered a root beer and downed it.

He left the bar and headed to the only place where he could get some relief and comfort.

He texted her on the way,  
Hey, I am really not doing well tonight. Do you think you could meet me at 9:00 at the church?"

Of course. I'm on my way.

He pulled into the church parking lot and was relieved to see other cars there as well.

He wasn't alone.

He walked into the church and found the room.

She came to him and hugged him.

"It's okay, Luke. We all have bad nights. Your mom told me what happened with you and Reid, and it's understandable that you would need to come here."

"I nearly drank tonight. "

"But you didn't."

"But I didn't."

"You are making progress, I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, Carly. It means a lot to me."

"I'm just happy that I could be here for you tonight. Now come on, the meeting is about to start."

Luke and Carly sat side by side holding hands during the AA meeting. Luke felt much better by the end.

"Seriously, I feel so bad for calling you away from your family on Thanksgiving night. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

"I tell you what. Our tradition is to play board games, put up the tree, and eat junk food on Thanksgiving night. Join us. The kids would love it, besides Ethan and Natalie are there too. You shouldn't be alone tonight."

"I don't want to intrude."

"Are you kidding? Jack and Parker would love to have another adult male there, since us girls kick their asses every year."

"I'd love to. Thank you, Carly."

"You're welcome. And for the record, while Reid is hot and all, he is clearly stupid for letting someone as awesome as you go."

Luke grinned.

"That is hardly true, but thank you for that."

"You're welcome. Now let's go get some food at Al's for this party."

"Sounds like a plan."

Luke spent the evening with Carly and Jack and the kids, and he tried to enjoy himself as much as he could.

However, he kept flashing back to what Steve said about Reid wanting marriage and a family with him, and how wrong he had been. Reid wanted nothing with him. Not the family traditions, or the board games, or even being together.

He left around eleven p.m. that night, dropped Ethan and Natalie off, and went home.

He crawled into bed, emotionally and physically exhausted. He tossed and turned willing himself to sleep, because he had a long day of work ahead of him at the paper.


	43. Chapter 43

The next morning, Luke wakes up to the sound of his cell phone beeping.

He has four new text messages, from work, and three from his family asking him how he was.

He really couldn't deal with talking about his feelings and how bad he felt since the love of his life left him.

He quickly showered, dressed, and grabbed a bagel and some coffee, then he was headed off to his office.

As he pulled into the warehouse parking lot, he couldn't help but wish that this was all over, so he could go back to his old building, and have some sense of normalcy in his life.

He was greeted with a hug, a giant bear claw, and his favorite coffee by Amber, and piles of paperwork to sign.

As he was working through his work, he checked his email.

He had an email from the forensic handwriting analysis. They found a hit.

Luke was just about ready to head over to the police station, when Alison came in looking for him.

"Hey, Luke."

"Alison, how are you? You feeling better?"

"Yeah, the doctors said I made a good recovery and I'm back at work. Just thought I'd stop here on my way through."

"That's good to hear."

Alison still looked jittery and pale.

"What are you up to?"

"OH, well I actually came here looking for Amber. I wanted to leave her a gift, for being so nice to me while I was laid up. "

"Oh, well I'm pretty sure she said she had a doctor's appointment this morning. But she'll be back in a few hours."

"Oh, well then I'll just leave this on her desk for her."

"Sure thing."

Alison smiled at Luke and slipped out.

Luke gathered up his things and headed toward the entrance.

He happened to stop by Amber's desk to talk to his sport's reporter and saw the item that Alison had left for Amber.

It was a bag of tea leaves ground up.

Immediately flags started going off in his head.

Why tea?

He ran back to his office grabbed a small bag and placed some of the grounds in it.

Better safe than sorry he thought.

He drove over to the police station to find the forensic analyst.

"Hey, Joe. I got your email."

"Mr. Snyder. Great to see you again. Well, I ran the handwriting sample through a machine, then cross referenced them to every person that works at the hospital. Let me tell you it wasn't t easy since most of the doctors have horrible handwriting. But, we did manage to piece together enough to determine that your writer is a nurse."

"Okay, so our killer is a nurse."

"Yes, she's female and she is left handed, like I determined earlier."

"Who is this nurse?"

"Have you heard of a Alison Stewart?"

"WHAT?"

"I'll take that as a yes. Her sample on the note and her work are vastly different to the naked eye, but the pressure and pattern in which she writes is exactly the same. That is how we determine who has written what. Your person of interest is most definitely Alison Stewart."

Luke felt as if he had just been punched in the stomach.

Alison Stewart, one of his good friends was out to kill him and all those he loved? Why? What had he done to Alison?

He felt sick and as if he was going to pass out.

He remembered the evidence he had then with him.

He tracked down Jack and Parker.

"Hey do you think you guys could get this tested for me? It's urgent. I think we have our person, but I need to double check."

"Sure thing, Luke. I'll have the lab put a rush on this."

Luke watched the clock drag forever it seemed, but a few hours later after sending emails and returning phone calls, Jack informed him that the tests were done.

He raced back over to the police station. The tea came back positive for hemlock.

It was true then, Alison Stewart, one of his lifelong friends was a murderer.

He had no choice but to let Parker and Jack know.

"Are you sure about this, Luke?"

"Yeah, Joe confirmed it was her handwriting on the note left on my car, and the tea she left for Amber had traces of hemlock in it, and the same exact amount of trace found in all the previous murders and murder attempts."

"Who she we call in for this?"

"I think it would be best to go small, Jack. Maybe just you and Parker. She's working at the hospital right now and we don't want to cause a huge scene."

"Yeah, you're right. But you're staying here until we bring her in."

"Jack, she's my friend. I think I should be there for this. If I'm there she may come willingly. Besides Casey, Chris, Amber, Reid are all there today and I would never forgive myself if I wasn't there and Alison tried something. So I'm coming."

"Okay, fine, but if things get ugly you have to promise to stand down."

"Fine."

As they walked into the hospital, Luke stopped by the nurses' station.

"Hey Kara, have you seen Alison or Casey lately?"

"Hey, Luke! I believe they are taking their lunch break in one of the rooms on the second floor."

"Oh great, thanks."

Luke told Jack that she was believed to be on the second floor.

As they checked rooms, Luke silently prayed that Alison would be alone and that she would come quietly.

He finally spotted Alison and Casey sitting in an empty room, watching TV, eating salad, and laughing with each other.

Jack and Parker enter the room. Luke stands in the hallway and watches through the window.

Instantly, Alison is up with an empty syringe in her hand pointed at Casey's carotid artery.

"If you come any closer, he dies."

Casey tries to speak but Jack and Parker indicate to stay still and quiet.

"Alison, listen to me. You do not want to do this. Put the syringe down and walk away."

"How do you know what I do or do not want to do? None of you know anything about me."

"I know that you are the daughter of Susan Stewart. Emily Stewart Ryan is your sister, and that you have a beautiful niece named Eliza."

Alison just snorted in derision at that.

"You have no fucking clue."

Parker tried next.

"Ali, please think of what you're doing. If you do this, there is no coming back from it. You will have killed Casey, a man you claim to love, and for what?"

Luke finally stepped in.

"Look, Alison. I have no idea why you did this, but I do know that you are not working alone. Maybe, Jack can give you some sort of deal to give up your accomplices."

Jack nodded and said, "Yeah, I can probably work something out with Tom Hughes, but first you're gonna have to lower the weapon pointed as his son's throat, and talk to us."

"Why in the world are you trying to help me, Luke?"

"Because believe it or not, you were my friend. I seriously am at a loss for why you're doing this, but I know that deep down you are a good person and there has to be a reason for this."

"If you only knew."

"Knew what?"

"If you had any fucking clue as to why I did any of this, you would not be so willing."

"So tell me then, Alison. Tell me why you did it."

"Well if I do that, he'll kill me and I'm not that fucking stupid."

"Who is going to kill you?"

"Just forget it. I'm not talking."

Suddenly, Luke hears someone behind him.

"What's going on?"  
It was Amber.

Alison immediately had fire in her eyes and pulled Casey even closer to the needle.

"Get that fucking bitch out of here right now, or I will kill him."

"Alison, what the hell?"

"I'm serious, leave Amber. If you aren't gone in the next five seconds you can kiss your precious boyfriend goodnight."

"Oh my God, what have you done Amber?"

""What have I done? I'm not that one who stole her man from someone else. Maybe I'm taking back what is rightfully mine."

"Alison, you and I both know that I did not steal Casey. He came willingly."

"Shut the hell up! What the fuck are you even doing here anyways?"

"I had a doctor's appointment."

Casey's eyes widened with concern and finally spoke.

"Amber, are you okay?"  
"Don't worry about it, babe. I'll be fine and we'll talk when this is over, okay?"

"If they'll be a later."

Luke could sense that Amber was losing her temper and was about to blow.

"Listen you psycho bitch, only a truly evil human being would take father away from his unborn child."

Mouths dropped open all around the room.

Casey looked about ready to pass out.

Finally, Casey spoke.

"Wait, what? Who's gonna be a what now?"

Amber just smiled at him until Casey processed the information.

Alison looked truly stricken by grief and pain. She lowered the syringe and pushed Casey at Amber.

She was fast and was able to duck out the door.

She made it to the roof of the hospital before anyone was able to catch up.

She stood on the ledge and looked down.

Luke was right behind her, with Jack and Parker not far behind.

When she finally looked back she saw Jack and Parker holding their guns on her.

"Really, you're threatening to shoot the suicidal person? Wow, you guys are smart."

Luke stepped forward then.

"Alison, please just let us help you. This isn't hopeless, your life doesn't have to be over because of this."

"You cannot help me, okay? You're the reason I'm even in this mess, why I did what I did! My life is over! No matter what I do in this situation, my life is gone and I will never get it back."

"How is this my fault?"

She ignored Luke and looked down again.

She finally looked back at Jack and Parker.

"So, what kind of deal will I be able to get?"

"A lighter sentences, maybe even probation, but we have to know who you're working with and why."

"Okay, I won't jump, but I am only answering to you and only once. So you may as well include Luke, Lily, and my family in the room."

"What does my mother have to do with this, Alison?"

Alison just glared at Luke and refused to speak. Her eyes were dull as if all the light had been extinguished from her soul.

Jack and Parker took Alison and lead her out.

On his way down, Luke stopped to make sure Casey and Amber were okay. They both assured him they were fine and to go. Amber got the information from Luke and set off for the paper to break the story that next morning.

Luke finally was on his way. He called his mother then.

"Mom you need to get to the police station right now."

"Why? What's going on?"

"Just go. Make sure to call Susan and Emily as well and inform them to meet us there."

Luke pulled into the police station and sat in his car for a few minutes.

He finally pulled his cell phone out and dialed.

He got the voicemail which he figured he would.

"Hey, I just wanted to let you know that we got the killer. It was Alison. Jack said that we could be in the room when she explained. If you'd like to come we're doing it in an hour."

He whispered an I love you as he hung up the phone.

He walked into the police station and found most his family there.

"You guys didn't have to come."

Lucinda just shook her head.

"My dear boy, you underestimate your family and the love they have for you. Now you go get your answers and when you are done, we will go out and celebrate with dinner."

Luke didn't have the heart to tell his mother he did not feel like celebrating much these days.

He kept looking around expecting to see Reid walk in at any minute, but he never came.

Finally, they were called into the interrogation room, when he saw Noah Mayer and Patrick, the police officer brought in with handcuffs.

He looked at Parker who was processing them.

"Why are you both in handcuffs?"

Parker spoke up,

"Alison told us on the way here that these were two of the goonies her boss hired to take you out."


	44. Chapter 44

Luke sat there not knowing what to do or say.

He was led into the interrogation room and sat down beside his mother.

Jack and Parker told them that Alison would answer any questions they had, but only once.

"How are Patrick and Noah involved in this?"

"Well, Patrick was put in the police station to keep an eye on the evidence and to get rid of Pete. What good would our plan be if we could just have anyone going in and out stealing things?"

"So, your boss knew I would sneak in and steal evidence?"

"They figured as much, considering it's what they would've done."

"And Noah?"

"He was put in place to keep an eye on your social life. To let us know if there was someone we should target."

"Is that why you pushed him so hard on me?"

"Well, I wouldn't have needed to if Reid hadn't come along and ruined everything."

"What does Reid have to do with anything?"

"We brought him in to take over the hospital. He was an easy target. You were in love with him and we could easily blame him for the murders. Admit it, you did think he was responsible for a long time did you not? We even planted evidence in his office for you to find.

"What did Reid ever do to you? Why did you try to kill him?"

"Actually that had more to do with what you did to me, than with anything Reid did. "

"What are you talking about?"

"You remember a certain hospital gala in which you ridiculed and humiliated me in front of everyone? Yeah, I didn't appreciate that very much. So I followed him and drove him off the road. It really wasn't that hard to get home, changed, and to the hospital by the time you arrived."

"How can you be so cruel and calculating?"

"Seriously, Luke? You went out of your way to tell Casey that he should not give me the time of day, that I was a bad person and the he could do so much better than me. And you want to know why I would go along with the plan to make your life hell? You made my life hell first!"

"I never said you were a horrible person, nor did I tell Casey he could do better. I said that you were not good together, and you weren't. I wanted you to be happy, Alison, just like I wanted that for my best friend. I still fail to see how I ruined your life. I did nothing to you, except be supportive of you."

"Right, well your actions and words don't really show that."

Luke just shook his head in disbelief.

Emily finally spoke up,

"Ali, honey, why are you doing any of this? What happened?"

"How about you ask our precious mother, why I would possibly do this, especially to Luke."

Susan looked shocked.

"Alison, I have no idea why you are doing any of this. How am I involved?"

"The same way Lily is involved. You both are miserable excuses for mothers."

Lily looked stunned at his.

"Alison, I have no idea how I'm involved this. I didn't know I was. Can I ask how I've been a bad mother?"

"Really, Lily? Really? Even after all these years you are still going to play the victim and lie?"

"What lie, Alison?"

Alison just shook her head and stared at the table.

"This is pointless. Even if I did tell you the truth, none of you will care. You've proven it over and over since I was born. I'm the throwaway person no one cares about. The girl that just isn't good enough."

Luke had no idea what was going on or what Alison was talking about.

"Alison, why don't you try us? You never know how we'll react until you tell us what is going on."

Alison finally looked up and said,

"Well there's nothing more you can take from me, Luke. So you might as well have all my secrets too. What do you want to know?"

"Who killed all the people?"

"It was a mix of my boss, Noah, Patrick, and me. Although all of my attempts never actually ended in murder. My boss killed Dr. Rosenthal and Dr. Murdoch and the other two doctors in Dallas, I tried to kill Chris and Reid, Patrick killed Pete, and Noah, Patrick, and I tried to kill Amber."

"So which of you were Amaria Middling?"

"Ahh, you're finally asking the right question, Luke. All of us were. We took turns signing into the hospital and performing our duties. We figured we wouldn't be caught if it was more than one person, and it helped that I actually worked in the hospital. It was so easy to dupe you all."

"Why the name Amaria Middling?"

"Have you ever heard of an anagram, Luke? It's really not that hard to figure out. I still can't believe not one single person thought to rearrange the letters of the name."

Luke asked if anyone had a computer. Parker gave him a laptop, and Luke typed the letters into an online anagram generator.

The words Damian Grimaldi popped up.


	45. Chapter 45

"What the hell does Damian have to do with anything? He's dead."

"Really? Did you actually ever see a body?"

"Well, no, but the authorities in Malta guaranteed that he would not have survived being in the water for that amount of time."

"Right, because Damian Grimaldi, a known criminal and crime boss who has paid government officials off in the past, is so upstanding and would never do anything like that now. You only saw what you wanted to Luke."

"So you're telling me that my father, Damian Grimaldi is alive?"

"Yes. Very much so. Damian has been keeping track of you for years. You remember your precious Adam? He was also one of Damian's men. He was hired to fall in love with you and break your heart, leaving you emotionally devastated. Instead he actually fell in love with you, and Damian had him killed. You do realize he was drinking tea when he slumped over at Javas, right? Either way you were devastated and Damian was appeased."

"But, why?"

"It all started when your mother slept with him while married to Holden. He always loved your mother and you, and he had hoped it would be the start of a new life. But your mother always pined after him, and you wanted to be just like him, and nothing like Damian. He hated that his family, the one he had spent some much time, money, and effort to create meant nothing to either of you. The final straw was when he tried to do something nice for you by giving you the newspaper, you threw it back in his face. You were ungrateful and selfish and disloyal. And that proved to be your biggest mistake."

Luke was overwhelmed. His own father had done this to him. But he still had no idea why Alison would go along with it.

"So why did you help him? What did I ever do to you?"

"What didn't you do to me? You basically told Casey not to give ma second chance and to go out with Amber. You only came to me and pretended to be my friend when you needed me help. It just basically proved that Damian was in fact, correct. You have no loyalty to your family."

"How does that prove my loyalty to my family? I know that a lot of this town is related to each other, but I'm pretty sure you and I are not."

"Except we are. We both have blonde hair, brown eyes, we're both left handed, and we both are allergic to peanuts. You and I, Luke are twins."

"No we're not. Your mother is Susan Stewart and your father is Larry McDermott."

"Wrong. My mother is Lily Walsh and Damian Grimaldi is my father. Our birthday is May 16th. I am your twin sister, Luke. I was given away at birth by our mother who did not want me."

"Okay, Alison. Are you back on drugs? Is that what this is about? Was Damian offering you free drugs to do this?"

"You don't believe me? How about you ask your mother about your twin sister? The one she abandoned in Malta."

Luke couldn't deal with anymore. He got up and left the room. He asked for some water and took some deep calming breaths.

Lily had just returned with food, and Luke pulled her aside.

"Okay, mom, I just want to prepare you for this, because it's clear that Alison has lost her mind. She claims that she and I are twins and that you gave her up in Malta the night we were born."

Lily gasped and her face turned white.

"Oh no. Oh my God. Where is she, Luke?"

"She's in interrogation room three, why?"

"Luke, we need to get back in there."

"What the hell is going on Mom!"

Lily sighed and took Luke's hand. She led him to some chairs along the wall.

"It is true that you had a twin, Luke. The night you were born I gave birth to two babies. One boy, which was you, and one girl. I barely remember anything that night, because as soon as I gave birth I went into shock because of a hemorrhage. When I came around, Damian was in the room holding you. Your sister was nowhere to be seen, when I asked what happened to her, Damian told me she had died from lack of oxygen. They said the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck and there was nothing they could do. I was devastated. I cried for two days straight, Luke. I could barely eat or sleep, or even hold you. A week later we had a funeral for her on the grounds of the mansion. I wept as they lowered that tiny coffin into the ground. I don't think I ever recovered from that, Luke."

"So if my sister died, why is Alison claiming to be her?"

"The thing is, Luke. I never go to see her or hold her. When I asked Damian, he told me they were already preparing her body for embalming and then after a week had passed, he told me I wouldn't want to see her like that. And I was too grief stricken and out of my mind to question him."

"But Alison is Susan's daughter. Wouldn't she know something was up?"

"Actually, Emily is Alison's biological mother, or so I thought. Susan really wanted a daughter with her husband, Larry. So Emily agreed to supply her egg and be the surrogate for the baby."

"Wait, so Emily is really Alison's mother?"

"Technically, yes, but Susan raised her as her daughter and as Emily's sister."

"We need to talk to Emily and Susan."

They walked to the front. Emily was sipping coffee and texting on her blackberry.

"Hey did you get any answers from her?"

"Actually yeah, but we need to talk to you about a few of the things she said."

"What did she say?"

"She said that she and I are twins and that our parents are Lily Walsh and Damian Grimaldi, and since you know, sort of gave birth to her, we were hoping maybe you could put that rumor to rest."

Emily sighed motioned for the two to sit down.

"I did not give birth to Alison. It was true that I was pregnant with a child for my mother, but she was stillborn. We were heartbroken. I had carried her for nine months and she born without a heartbeat. It was either go through an adoption process that could take years, or we could go a little less conventional way."

"What do you mean less conventional? I'm pretty sure you being your own sister's biological mother is pretty unconventional."

"My less conventional I mean not exactly legal."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I contacted a few of my contacts for my magazine who put me in contact with their people, and within sixteen hours we were given a call by a man saying they had a newborn girl just born hours before that they were willing to sell."

"You bought a baby?"

"Not exactly. The stipulation was that they would let us adopt her if we never told anyone that we adopted her. My mother changed hospital records to make it look like Alison was my biological daughter. We just had to pretend like she was ours and we could have her. We thought maybe she had some health issues and that's why, but they insisted it was for her safety and that they wanted a good life for her and they couldn't keep her safe. We thought we were doing a good thing. We thought we were helping out someone who truly needed it."

Lily looked like she was going to be sick.

"So you took her in, no questions asked?"

"Yes. I'm so sorry, Lily. We truly had no idea she was your daughter. We never actually spoke to or saw Damian. We had no idea he was involved."

"Why would Damian do something like this?"

Lily was sitting with tears streaming down her face.

"Oh, God. I have to go talk to Alison."


	46. Chapter 46

Lily and Luke entered the room.

"Oh, how nice. Well aren't we all just one big happy family again?"

Alison glared at Lily.

"Hi, Alison."

"Should I call you Lily or mother now?"

"You can call me whatever you like."

"I think I'll go with bitch then."

Lily closed her eyes in pain.

"Alison, I know you're upset and angry. I'm sorry that you spent your whole life not knowing the truth. If I had known you were alive, I would've done everything in my power to find you."

"Damien said you would say that. You're going to have to do a little better than that for it to be all okay."

"Alison, please listen to me. The night you and Luke were born, Damian told me you died. I never saw you. I never got to hold you. Damian took you away from me, for reasons still unknown to me. I wanted you. I was a wreck for months after you died. There isn't a day that went by since I thought you died, that I thought about you, what you would look like, who you would be."

"Oh well that makes it all better then. I'm going based on actions and not words. Damian actually tracked me down and wanted to get to know me. He told me you would act like it was all his fault. That he was the one at fault for me being cast aside like garbage. But really, it was you. You didn't want me."

"Alison, if he truly loved you so much why did it take him so long to track you down?"

"Because he didn't know I existed."

"Really? He had no idea you existed? So how exactly did he track down a daughter he didn't know existed?"

"Because you gave me away. You wanted me to have nothing to do with my father who truly loved me. He only knew about Luke, but didn't know you had given birth to a second child."

"Considering he was in the room the entire time and saw both births, that's simply not true."

"Oh, and I'm just supposed to take your word for it?"

"It's also on video, Alison."

"What?"

"I have the birth of you and Luke on tape. Damian is beside me the entire time and only leaves after you were born and I went into shock so the doctors could work on me. But you are definitely on the tape and so is your father."

"But why would Damian lie to his own child?"

"Why would Damian lie to Luke and I, the supposed love of his life and his child? Why does Damian do anything he does? He's a cold hearted bastard. I can't believe I ever gave that man my heart and let him anywhere near my children. He let me believe for 31 years that my daughter died. He must be getting revenge for some slight he thought I caused him. Probably because even before Luke and you were born I told him I wanted to go back to Oakdale and raise our family. I didn't want to be in Malta anymore. It made Damian cruel and changed him. The power and the responsibility of carrying on his family name did not help. I think maybe my dislike of his life made him snap."

"So you're saying Damian gave me up for adoption to punish you because you didn't want to stay?"

"Yes. Damian would never physically lay a hand on his child, but mentally? Did you see what he did Luke? What he did to you? Why else would he place you in Oakdale, near Luke and I? It's called psychological abuse. He wanted us around each other never quite knowing who we were to each other. He's doing it to Luke now. His revenge for wanting to get away from Damian and his legacy. He sets Luke up in a business then spends years concocting a plot to take it all away. He targeted Reid, Bob, Chris, and anyone that was willing to help Luke in any way. And how does he do it, he uses Luke's own sister to do it."

Alison stared at her hands.

"I've been so stupid. What the hell is wrong with me? I can't believe I believed anything he said to me."

"Damian can make anyone believe anything, Alison. You are not the first person he conned. Listen to me. I am going to do anything in my power to help you. Tom Hughes is willing to help you already because you gave up the real criminal. Right now though, we need to catch Damian. It's the only way for this to truly be over. As long as he is out there wreaking havoc on our lives, none of us will be free."

"What can I do?"

"Hold on, let me get Jack. He will want to set up a meeting with Tom and the D.A. In the meantime Luke will be here. You guys should talk."

Lily hugged her on the way out and headed outside.

Luke and Alison looked at each other.

Alison finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, Luke. I have no excuses for what I did. I'm no better than Damian."

"Alison, I of all people should now how Damian is. You were operating out of fear and anger that was placed there by Damian."

"I was just so hurt and upset, Luke. Damian fed on every fear and insecurity I had. About my relationship with Casey, about how my own brother hated me and wanted nothing to do with me. I just couldn't handle it."

"I don't hate you, Alison. I never did. Yeah we had a few run ins, where we didn't always get along, but we have been friends since kindergarten. I think our issue is that we are too much alike. And now it makes sense why. We truly are siblings."

Alison snorted at that.

"Yeah, I guess that explains are heated rivalry and competition in high school."

"Or our penchant for throwing hissy fits. You know our friends always said you were the male version of me and I was the female version of you. They had no idea how right they were."

They laughed then.

"Oh God. It's so not funny at all."

"I know, but if we can't laugh about it, what can we do?"

"We can get even. I am tired of Damian. Even if it is the last thing I do. I will make sure he never again hurts someone I love."


	47. Chapter 47

A few hours later they had a plan in place.

Alison would send a text to Damian to meet.

The police would show up and bust Damian and they would bring him in.

By the end of the evening, everyone was back at the police department with Damian in custody.

Luke and Lily sat in the interrogation room waiting for Damian to finally come through that door after the all years they spent thinking he was dead.

Damian was brought in then. He looked the same as he had all those years ago, just a little older. His eyes were dead and cold and his face seemed harder.

Alison is then brought in and is given a seat between Luke and Lily.

Damian just stares coldly at his family.

Lily finally spoke up,

"What happened to you, Damian?"

"What do you mean what happened to me? YOU happened to me."

"How is this my fault?"

"You don't think I knew you were planning leaving me to go back to Oakdale and your precious Holden?"

"What do you mean?"

"One thing you never learned when we lived in Malta, that you had to be very careful who you spoke to. I have eyes and ears everywhere. You thought I was just going to let you leave me and take my children? You have no idea the depths that I will go to keep what is mine."

"And one thing you never learned, Damian is that people are not possessions. We are not yours. You don't get to control who we are or what we do. You never learned that and you clearly never will."

"Well I would say I have pretty good control. I mean I did manage to convince Alison to kill herself using strychnine. But she couldn't even do that right."

"You did what?"

Lily was livid. She nearly was across the table ready to hit Damian when Luke pulls her back.

Damian laughs hysterically.

"Wait, how did you convince me to do that?"

"It was easy. I just planted seeds of doubt in your mind about how good you were and about how you were worthless and nobody wanted you. The endgame for you, Alison was always for you to die for the cause."

"What?"

"How hard is it to understand? You were expendable. My main goal was Luke and Lily. You got sloppy at the end going on your emotions and making mistakes left and right. It was time for you to die."

Lily and Alison were both too shocked to speak.

Luke finally spoke.

"You are a horrible human being. You wonder why no one care that you were dead? Because you are evil!"

"Oh come now, Luke. You are my son. You share my DNA. You will never be free of me, no matter how hard you try."

"But I am nothing like you."

"Oh, you're a little bit like me."

"Never."

"Admit it though, when you saw your mother's name on that file young Mr. Hughes gave you, you thought for just a minute she might be a murder, did you not?"

"So?"

"That means I can always get to you, no matter where you go or what you do. So I go to prison. You think you'll be free of me then?"

"I'll take my chances if it means you are not out on the streets."

"You and your mother are a disgrace. You know nothing about family and loyalty. You needed to be taught a lesson."

Luke had hear enough.

"What lesson is that exactly? That my father is insane and a total bastard?"

"I'm not the bastard in the room, Luke. You are."

"What are you talking about now?"

Lily's face which was already white, turned even whiter.

"Are you saying what I think you are, Damian?"

"Yes."

"What are you talking about?"

Luke looked between his mother and Damian.

"Damian and I were married shortly before you were born."

"How does that make me a bastard?"

"When Damian and I met in Paris, I was 18 years old. I had just left Oakdale after having my heart broken by your father."

"And?"

"And Damian was sweet and polite and generous and he took care of me. We ended up making love and sharing an apartment together. I found out I was pregnant about a month after that."

"Just cut to the chase."

"The tests were inconclusive, there was no way to tell when I conceived and because the dates between the time when your father and I had last been together and when Damian and I were overlapped the time window."

"Oh my God."

"So are you saying that Holden could be my father?"

"We had a DNA test taken after you were born and it came back as Damian being the father."

Damian finally spoke up,

"Except I paid off the forensic specialist to change the results."

Lily nearly fell out of her chair in surprise.

"Holden Snyder is the father of Luciano and Lucia."

Alison finally spoke up.

"Who is Lucia?"

Damian just stared at her.

"You are. Your birth name was Lucia Elena Grimaldi, named after my great grandmother. Luciano is also named after her."

Lily grabbed her hand and said,

"I was going to call you Lucie."

"So you're saying everything about our lives has been a lie up to now?"

Luke got up,

"I need to get out of here right now. I cannot handle anymore tonight."

A/N: In this story, Alison and Aaron never happened, because I am NOT into incest and just ewww.


	48. Chapter 48

Luke took a walk to calm down. He was shaking. His entire world had been turned upside down, everything he thought he knew was no longer. He had endured years of emotional abuse from his father all because of some sick revenge plot that didn't even make sense.

He found himself at the hill again. He was exhausted.

He lay on the hill and looked at the stars. He wished he could transport himself to another dimension where he lived in a normal family, one who loved him and had very little drama, and a world where Reid and he had never broken up and they were happily married living a great life.

He got lost in daydreams when he heard someone clear their throat.

He looked up to see Reid looking at him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I got your message. But when I got to the police station, they told me you had left."

"What do you want, Reid? I really have nothing left in me tonight. So if you want to fight, can you please wait for at least one more day?"

"I'm not here to fight with you."

"Then what?"

"Lily told me what happened today."

"Oh, so you came to gloat?"

"I would never do that, Luke and you know it."

Luke just covered his head with his hands and rolled over and away from Reid.

"Actually I don't. I don't know anything. Today my entire world and everything I believed in has fallen apart. So forgive me I don't want just let you swoop in and try to make it all better for me."

Reid said nothing. He sat down and pulled Luke to him.

He just held him.

Luke let go then and cried.

He beat his fists against Reid's chest.

"I hate him. He spent his entire life hell bent on ruining my family. And for what? He got nothing out of it in the end except a destroyed family."

"But he's not your real father, Luke. Nothing he said or did was about you. It was about his sick obsession with Lily and his bizarre need for control and revenge. Damian Grimaldi is an evil, sick person, and you are not. You are kind and loving and compassionate. And you deserve to move on and be happy."

"I have no idea what that is anymore."

"What?"

"Happy? I haven't been happy since we were in high school and you kissed me that day outside of the bookstore in Olde Town. That was the happiest moment of my life."

"And when were together again?"

"Of course I was happy, but I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for something to go wrong and turns out I was right, because it did."

"Steve showed up in my hotel room the night I left you."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Just listen, Luke, please."

"Fine."

"Steve showed up and basically told me I was the stupidest man on the face of the planet, for being the smartest man he knew."

"Why is that?"

"Because I was being selfish and stupid."

"Ohhh?"

"Yeah. There I was thinking only of myself. For years Luke it's been me against my parents, against you, against the world. I never had anyone there to fight for me or with me. I've always had to rely on myself. I've never felt like I could trust anyone to look out for me as well I could on my own. And on Thanksgiving when invited my parents I felt as if you were ganging up on me and proving me right. That I was alone, that I had to fight my battles by myself. But then Steve told me what you said to my parents, especially my mother, and for the first time ever, I felt relieved. I finally had someone who was in my corner. I shouldn't have doubted you."

"Really?"

Luke was staring at Reid.

"Yeah, I just needed to get verbally castrated by my best friend to realize that I was letting my stubbornness and pride get in the way of what I truly wanted."

"Which is...?"

"You're going to make me beg aren't you?"

"You bet your ass I am."

"I want you, Luke. All of you, your quirks, your drama, your obsession with your hair. I want it all."

"Leave it to you, to you insult me when you're supposed to be complimenting me. Jerk."

"Psssh, whatever. You knew that going in."

"Yeah, it's a wonder I love you anyway."

Reid kissed Luke then, just as they did, fireworks started going off overhead.

"What the hell?"

They looked around and saw a bride and groom exiting the small chapel on the edge of the park.

They were setting fireworks off for a wedding.

They both started laughing then.

"I can safely say that is the first time I've ever had fireworks go off when I kissed someone."

"Well we are pretty hot are we not? It's like sparks and gasoline colliding."

"Do you want to go home?"

"I have to go back to the hospital actually. I have Doogie covering my shift right now, but I have another six hours left. I'll meet you when I'm done."

"That's okay. I feel the need to go back to the police station anyway and get more answers from Damian."

"Just remember that you have a family and boyfriend who loves you."

"Really? I have a boyfriend?"

"Like we were every really broken up."

Luke kissed Reid once last time and giggled when the fireworks were still going off.

"See you at home, baby."


	49. Chapter 49

Surprisingly, Reid was home before Luke. He used his key in the lock and opened the door.

As he stepped into the dark apartment he stopped.

He smelled what he thought was cinnamon and nutmeg.

He took another step further into the living room, but fell over the box sitting on the floor.

He felt around for the light switch on the wall, and flooded the apartment with light.

Lying in the floor and on the table, and the counters, and nearly every space he could see were boxes labeled "Christmas Decorations".

He recognized the neat handwriting as Lily's.

He pushed the box out of the way with his foot and headed to kitchen to grab a beer.

He stopped short when he saw pan after pan after pan of cookies on the counter.

He saw gingerbread men, gingersnaps, snicker doodles, molasses cookies, sugar cookies, buckeyes, peanut brittle, and chocolate covered pretzels. He had never seen so many sweets in one place before in his life.

He looked longingly at the cookies and then he looked at the decorations again.

He picked up his phone and made a few phone calls.

Four hours later, Luke was finally free of Damian. He spent the last ten hours with Jack interrogating Damian, and his story changed every two hours. Damian was his real father, no, Holden was, no Damian really was. He was tired and sick of the mind games and all he really wanted was to go home, take a shower and fall into his nice, warm, soft bed with his boyfriend. His gorgeous, hot, muscly boyfriend who he had not been with in what felt like months.

He unlocked the door and noticed that Reid was already home, which wasn't surprising.

What was surprising however was that not only was all of the Christmas decoration boxes moved, all of the decorations were up.

The Christmas tree was up; it was lit, and decorated meticulously.

There were twinkle lights bordering the windows, the nativity scene was up, and Reid was lying on the couch dead asleep wrapped up in the red and green afghan his Grandma Emma had made for him for his first Christmas.

He couldn't help the tears that came to his eyes.

He was beyond touched. Here was a man who hated holidays, especially ones that involved family, but even despite that, he put aside his own feelings to make Luke happy.

Luke moved into the kitchen then and started putting the cookies into storage, careful not to wake Reid up.

He moved to the bathroom then when he saw that their bedroom was also decorated.

In the bedroom was the smaller tree that Luke usually put in the guest bedroom.

This tree was decorated as well, but it looked like a five year old had attempted to decorate it.

He couldn't help but start laughing at the poor tree.

He was still laughing when Reid stumbled in.

"What is so funny, Luke?"

"Nothing, sorry. I was just admiring the tree here. So, tell me, Reid, was this your attempt to decorate, or is this the work of a five year old child?"

Reid blushed, which made Luke smile even more,

"Shut up. Okay, you caught me. You found the one thing I'm bad at, happy now? I can't decorate Christmas trees. Also, Jacob did help me, okay?"

"Wait, Jacob helped you? Who all was here putting up these decorations?"

"I think the better question should be who wasn't here putting up decorations?"

Luke motioned for him to go on.

"Lily, Faith, Gabriel, Natalie, Holden, Ethan, Jacob, Katie, Chris, Maddie, Carly, Jack, Parker, Liberty, Steve Kennedy, Casey, Amber, Emma, and Lucinda."

"Wait, seriously? You got my ENTIRE family and the Hughes to help put up these decorations? How?"

"I just reminded them how much you've been through these past few weeks and how important Christmas is to you, and how we all just want to see you happy."

Luke felt the tears welling back up and his voice was choked up,

"I still can't believe you did this for me."

"I would do anything for you, Luke. You know that. Besides, after everything that you have gone through, and after everything I put you through, you deserve to be happy."

Luke smiled then. He walked back into the living room and stopped short when he looked at the fireplace. Hanging above it were two stockings. One with an R sewn into and one with an L. He looked at Reid then.

"Did you put these here?"

"Yeah, are they bad? Did I pick out ugly ones? I'm sorry, I've never done this kind of thing before, so I'm really bad at it."

"Are you kidding me? I love them. "

Luke felt the fabric of each of the stockings.

He was so happy. It was hard to describe how happy he really was. He was celebrating his first Christmas with Reid, his first news story made national news and the royalties had been enough to save the paper, the hospital was once again safe, everyone was healthy again, and the killer was behind bars. He didn't care anymore who his father was. Damian may have been a part of his past, but he had control over his future. Holden was the only true father Luke had ever known, and he was the only father Luke claimed.

While he was lost in thought, Reid came up behind him and took him in his arms.

"I was just hoping that we could maybe do some of the Christmas things you told me about. I never really did them with my family, so…"

Luke had never seen Reid look so shy before, and he felt his heart tug.

"Of course we can. I tell you what. We will spend Christmas morning together, and then Christmas afternoon we will head over to the farm and have our traditional Christmas then. That way we can start our own tradition."

"That means we get two Christmases?"

"Actually we have three. We'll do something with my Lucinda a few days before. Usually she takes the grandkids shopping and lets us buy whatever we want."

"Your family is pretty awesome, Luke."

"Yeah, well, it's better now that you're in it."

Reid just grinned facetiously and said, "Oh, I know."

Luke happened to see something out of the corner of his eye then and burst out laughing.

"Did you seriously put mistletoe on every single doorway?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"That seems a bit overboard. You even put it in the bathroom!"

"Yeah, well, I was looking out for you, Luke. I knew there was no way in hell you can keep your hands off me, so I figured you can use this as an excuse for you to jump me now."

"Like I need an excuse. I touch you on the leg and you jump off the couch, taking off clothes as you head to the bedroom and are naked, lying in bed in under two minutes."

"Hey, I am efficient. And might I remind you, it is YOU the one touching me."

"I just think that much mistletoe is a little overkill."

"I am a shocked that Mr. Christmas himself, Luke Snyder, would be such a Grinch and this close to the holidays!"

Luke just rolled his eyes at this and then said,

"Well, really, I'm just thinking about the people who are here on Christmas Eve. I mean it's going to cause traffic jams if they have to stop and kiss at each doorway."

"Christmas Eve? What is happening on Christmas Eve?"

"Oh come on, you can't tell me you don't remember the annual Christmas Eve party. My parents threw it for years. You showed up at one to give me that journal and pen all those years ago?"

"I remember, but why are people coming here for Christmas Eve, if your parents are the ones throwing the party?"

"Well, a few years ago, I decided I'd like to start a few holiday traditions of my own and my parents allowed me to start hosting it. So, every Christmas people come to my apartment for cookies, eggnog, and Christmas caroling."

"Christmas Caroling?"

"Yeah, you know as in Joy to the World, Oh Come all ye Faithful…"

"I know what the hell a Christmas Carol is, Luke. I'm asking you what you mean when you say you do Christmas Caroling."

"Well, we go around town singing, and then when we're done, we go back to the party, drink eggnog, play board games, open small elephant gifts, and have a good time. The party ends at midnight, where everyone wishes each other a Merry Christmas, and then we go to bed and wait for Christmas morning."

"How very" A Christmas Carol" of you."

"Come on, Reid. Don't be mean."

"NO."

"Reid, come on. It's so not that big of a deal."

"I am NOT fucking Christmas Caroling."

"You don't have to sing."

"You're right. I don't. I don't have to do any of this archaic shit."

"Reid, honestly it goes from seven to midnight. You will know all the people there. Your parents will not be there. There will be food, and a lot of it, since everyone brings their favorite dishes to share. And I promise you, that if you at least pretend to be nice and having a good time, you will be heavily rewarded."

Reid sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose,

"I swear, if I didn't like sex with you so much, you'd lose a lot more of these arguments."

Luke grinned and hugged his boyfriend.

"Well, I know you LOVE having sex with me, and I also know that you would do anything I ask of you, because you love me in general."

Reid didn't even bother trying to deny it.

That night, Luke slept better than he had in months, curled up in the arms of the man he was sure was it for him. He had never felt more at peace.

As he drifted off to sleep, he couldn't wait for Christmas, and for the New Year. He was ready for new. He was ready for change.


	50. Chapter 50

Luke was wide awake by five a.m. on Christmas morning. The party the night before had actually gone pretty well. Everyone showed up, had a great time, and even Reid seemed to enjoy himself, of course the promise of all the Christmas cookies he could eat and amazing sex in their gigantic shower if he behaved was enough. He spent the entire night in a corner with Carly and Lucinda doing who knows what, all Luke heard was cackling laughter and a gigantic shit eating grin on Reid's face the entire night. Truth be told, he didn't want to know, he was just happy and content.

This was his first Christmas morning not spent at the farm and it was strange not to be up early sitting in the kitchen drinking cinnamon coffee and talking to his Grandmother who was busy putting the turkey in the oven.

He looked over at the sleeping Reid who was clearly content as he was curled up into a ball and had stolen all the covers in the night. Luke couldn't help the smile that stole across his face. He would not trade a Christmas morning in bed with his boyfriend for anything in the world. He'd had twenty five plus years of Christmas mornings with his family, and he cherished them all, but he looked forward to the many he knew he would spend with Reid.

Reid finally stirred and stared blearily up at Luke,

"Has anyone ever told you how incredibly creepy it is to watch someone else sleep?"

"I can't help it, Reid. You're so adorable."

"Uhh, what time is it?"

"It is five thirteen a.m."

"Why are you awake?"

"I think it's habit. Usually on the farm, Ethan has everyone up by five a.m. to open stockings and presents."

"Oh, crap. I completely forgot about your family. Do you want to go over there? I don't mind. I know how much you love spending holidays with your family."

"No, Reid. I want to spend this Christmas morning in bed with the man I love, you are my family now too, and besides my parents completely understand and we're going over there this afternoon for dinner and to celebrate with extended family and this evening we'll have Christmas with my parents and siblings. It's time to start some new traditions."

"You didn't have to do that you know."

"Yes I did. This is our first Christmas together and we are going to do it right."

"Yes master."

"Shut up."

"So does this mean I can go back to bed?"

"If you insist, but I'm gonna watch A Christmas Story. It always airs all day long on Christmas."

"A Christmas Story? What's that?"

"Are you freaking kidding me right now, Reid? You have never heard of A Christmas Story?"

"No, should I have?"  
"It's like the most classic Christmas movie ever."

"I didn't celebrate Christmas before you, Luke."

"That is seriously beyond sad."

Luke turned the TV on and settled back in bed.

The movie was just starting and he snuggled further into the bed and yanked part of the loose blankets over to his side.

Reid moved and pulled Luke to him and covered them both.

It wasn't long before Reid was laughing at the movie and was clearly enjoying himself.

Luke got up and went into the kitchen and made some coffee, grabbed a hidden plate of cookies he had made just for that morning, and grabbed the stockings from the fireplace mantle.

He walked back in put the stockings and plate on the bed, handed Reid a mug of coffee and put his own on the night stand.

He climbed back in bed and grabbed the plate of cookies and handed it to Reid.

Reid stared at it for a few seconds and finally spoke,

"This is probably the best gift I've ever received."

Luke just laughed and stole a cookie from the plate.

They watched in silence for the rest of the movie with only the sound of laughter and munching of cookies heard.

Finally the movie was over. Luke turned it off and turned to Reid,

"So what'd you think?"

"Funny movie. I can see why you like it so much."

"Yeah, my dad always let me stay up late on Christmas Eve when I was little and watch it with him. It was so much fun."

Reid picked up the stockings in the bed,

"So I should warn you, I've never filled one of these before, so I hope I did alright. I should admit that your mom and Faith helped me pick out some of this stuff."

"I am not worried. I am honestly excited to see what you bought for me."

Reid opened his first because Luke kept bouncing up and down on the bed and telling him to.

He pulled out a stethoscope and realized the back of it was engraved with a R.

"You bought me an engraved stethoscope?"

"Yeah, is that cheesy or stupid? I'm sorry, Reid. I thought it was nice you know in case you misplace it, so you know it's yours."

"No, it's not stupid, Luke. Calm down. I adore this gift. In fact it's probably the nicest and most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me."

Reid leaned over and grabbed Luke's face and kissed him swiftly.

Luke nearly swooned and fell off the bed.

Reid then insisted Luke remove something from his stocking.

He pulled out an envelope.

In it were two tickets to Wicked, which he had been telling Faith for years he'd love to see.

"Okay, I definitely know you didn't pick these out on your own."

"Yeah, Faith told me you'd been telling her constantly for the last three years how much you'd love to see Wicked in Chicago. So we're going."

"Wait, you're going with me?"

"Unless you wanted to take someone else?"

Reid looked uncertain.

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant more like, YOU want to go with me to a Broadway show where there will be dancing and singing and a girl in green makeup?"

"Yeah, I'll suffer through it, Luke." Reid rolled his eyes.

"Believe it or not, I'm not against all culture. I just have no desire to watch High School Musical, like you."

"Come on! Natalie and Ethan love it when I sing those songs with them."

"Natalie also loves Justin Bieber, which is sort of weird considering she's one of the smartest kids I've ever seen and Ethan loves anything you do."

"Whatever. You're just an old fart. Open the rest of your stocking."

Reid pulled out a box of golf balls. They were his favorite brand and he grinned.

"I love how well you know me. I will definitely be putting these to good use in a few months."

"Yeah, Steve is the one who begged me to get those for you, because he said they are damn expensive and you can afford them."

Reid laughed heartily at that and motioned for Luke to continue opening his stocking.

They went back and forth opening small trinkets to each other, and then Luke stood up.

He grabbed Reid's hand and pulled him with him to the living room.

"It is now time to open presents."

"Wait, you mean the cookies and things in my stocking weren't my presents?"

Luke felt his heart constrict. He hated how much Reid had missed out on all these years.

"That was just a preview. Your real presents are under the tree."

Luke handed him a box and told him to open it.

In it was a clearly first edition book. It was a vintage edition of Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body. He was blown away. It was clearly very expensive and he knew that Luke had gone to great lengths to acquire it.

Then an envelope was handed to him, he opened it to discover a lifetime membership to the country club where he and the other doctors played.

Then Luke pushed another box toward him, he opened it to find every season of Grey's Anatomy on DVD, and he immediately started laughing,

"You're a prick, Luke."

"Hey, you're the one who said you liked the show. I'm just trying to help you get caught up. Plus, I cannot wait for someone else to come over and ask whose DVDs those are and I get to tell them that they are yours."

"Right, but at least I can't claim the Glee DVDs or the Desperate Housewives episodes cluttering up the DVR."

Reid finally went to the drawer of his desk and opened it.

He pulled out an envelope and handed it to Luke.

"Here, this is part of your gift."

Luke opened it and started reading the letter.

At first he was extremely confused, and then he realized what it basically said.

It was Reid's living will and in it he named Luke his power of attorney and executor of it.

"Does this mean what I think it does?"

"Pretty much. It means that we have to go get it notarized, but yes, you will be effectively my power of attorney and executor. So in case anything happens to me, you can legally be there for it all. I know it's not a grand, romantic gift, but I felt it needed to be done. And I know it's sort of strange seeing as how we're not married and probably will never be, but it can still provide some assurance or something."

"You're babbling, Reid."

"I know, I can't help it."

"I love this. Honestly, Reid. I never even thought about doing something like this, but I do think it's necessary to have papers like this in place. I'll talk to Lucinda after the New Year and get all this stuff taken care of on my end too."

"You don't have to do that, Luke."

"Yes, I do. This is a huge commitment from both of us, and I know that you have told me repeatedly you don't see yourself ever getting married, but that doesn't mean we won't be together. I love you and I'm not going anywhere. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, even if that means we are lovers and friends and not husbands."

"How can you be sure? I know you want kids and a family and a wedding."

"I want you more than all those things, Reid. I don't want any of those things if it means I can't have them with you. "

"Okay. So talk to your grandmother, and we'll get it taken care of."

Then Reid handed him another envelope,

"And this is the second part of your gift and I promise it's far more romantic."

Luke opened it up and started grinning as he read,

"Welcome to Vermont. Are we going to Vermont?"

"Yeah. I figured you never got to come visit me in college and I have so many places to show you, and it's quite beautiful there. So I booked us for a four day trip to Vermont. We can go skiing, or just stay in the resort and have sex all day. Whatever you want."

"When are we going?"

"We leave tomorrow and get back on the 30th."

"Seriously? What about work?"

"I am being given a much deserved and needed mini vacation, so I can take the love of my life on a relaxing trip and get our minds off the chaos of the past few months. The board agreed with me, and your grandmother has her jet ready for us to fly out tomorrow afternoon."

"I. Love. You."

"Do you now?"

"Yes. I really have no other words right now. So, instead I'll just show you how much."

An hour and a half later, and a few rounds later, Reid lay in bed panting.

"That was pretty much the best Christmas present so far. THAT is definitely going to be part of the tradition."

"Whatever you say."

Reid looked over at Luke who was lying flat on his back in a spread eagle position and glazed look in his eyes.

"You going to make it, Luke?"

"Just give me a few seconds to recover."

A few seconds turned into another hour as both fell asleep and catnapped.

Then Reid heard a strange sound coming from down the hall and went to investigate.

Just as he was about to open the door he saw Luke rush by him and stand in front.

"Go back to bed."

"Why? What do you have in there?"

"Nothing, just go back to bed, I'll be there in a minute. I don't want you to ruin the surprise, okay?"

Reid looked warily at Luke, but turned around and trudged back into the bedroom.

He sat against the headboard and flipped through the TV stations to see what was on.

A few minutes later, Luke was back with a box in his hands.

"Okay, this is your final Christmas gift, I was going to wait until after the other Christmases were over, but this little guy couldn't wait anymore.

He handed the box to Reid who almost dropped it as he felt the contents of the box start to move.

He put it on the bed and lifted the lid, then he laughed out loud at what was in it.

It was a bulldog puppy. He immediately recalled the conversation he and Luke had in the hospital as he came out of the coma.

"Brutus the bulldog, huh?"

"Yeah, that's what the B on his collar stands for."

"I love that you remembered our conversation."

"I will do anything for you, Reid, especially the thing you asked for after I almost lost you."

Luke started crying,

Reid put the puppy on the floor and stood up. He walked over to Luke and pulled him to him,

"I love you, now and forever, I don't care about any damn dog or any material thing. I only care about you. You are all I need, you're all I want."

Luke started crying harder,

"You're going to have to stop that, Luke, because I want to kiss you and you're a really ugly crier."

Luke started laughing then and he hit Reid on the shoulder,

"You're a bastard."

"You love me and you know it."

"Heaven help me, I really do."

They spent the rest of the morning playing with their new puppy and Reid learning how difficult it is to train one. It was Reid's first real Christmas and the best holiday he had ever spent.

Later that night as his boyfriend was sleeping on the bed with the tiny puppy snuggled on his chest, he sighed. He was happy and content and in that moment he knew what he must do.

He texted Steve,

Hey can you meet me at Java's tomorrow? We need to discuss the situation with Luke.

He tossed and turned the rest of the night wondering if he was making the biggest mistake of his life.


	51. Chapter 51

Luke and Reid left early the next morning for their romantic getaway to Vermont. The first night there, they stayed in a gorgeous cabin out in the middle of nowhere. It was absolutely beautiful, peaceful, and calm. They had fires in the fireplace every night, and romantic carriage rides through the snow in the late afternoons.

Luke was just finishing his novel on the third day of the trip, noticed Reid had left, and that he had left at the same time every day since they had arrived. He wondered what the heck was going on with him. His mind jumped to the absolute worst scenario: he was cheating on him, with some hot, built lumberjack then he started thinking of plausible scenarios. Reid was helping a sick elderly woman with a house call. Luke had to laugh out loud at that idea. Eventually he gave up wondering where Reid was.

So he pulled on his coat and boots and went outside to bring more wood in. As soon as he turned the corner to the shed, he saw Reid standing a few feet away pacing back and forth, talking tersely to someone on the other end of the phone.

Luke inched forward a bit, but all he could hear was Reid tell the man to just do it and quit asking questions. Then he hung up. Luke was frozen for a few seconds then moved to the woodpile.

Reid turned at the sound of the noise.

"Hey, Luke, what's up?"

"Nothing, just came to get some more wood, didn't mean to bother you."

Luke couldn't keep the snippy tone out of his voice.

"What do you mean, bother me?"

"I mean, it's clear you were in a very intimate conversation with whoever that was on the other end and I'm so sorry if our romantic weekend is getting in the way of you cheating on me."

Luke grabbed the wood as fast as possible and was up the stairs to the house before Reid could really respond.

He slammed the door shut, stalked over the fireplace, and dropped the wood in the bin.

A few seconds later as he was putting a log on the fire, he heard the door open and slam behind me.

"Do you really think that I'd bother taking you on a romantic trip and fucking you every chance I got if I was cheating on you?"

"Maybe. My mom after all was a cheat, and I was a cheater, believe me, it's not hard to pretend you love someone if it means you can get laid."

"Fuck you, Luke. I am not a cheater and I would never be one. Ever."

"So, you're not a cheater. Want to explain the weirdness of the last few days? You bring me to Vermont, and then disappear every day for hours at a time, and then I catch you on the phone with someone today. What the hell am I supposed to think? Cause the only other thing I can possibly conjure up is that you're still working for my dad, and if that's true, I wish you were cheating on me."

"It's nothing like that, Luke. God. You're so nosy. And how dare you accuse me of working with your father! He almost killed me!"

"I own a fucking newspaper, Reid. Of course, I'm nosy. It comes with the job! So if you're not cheating on me, then what the fuck have you been doing the past few days?"

"Listen to me, Luke. I am not cheating on you and I won't be cheating on you, okay? Can you please just drop it?"

"So, you're asking me to trust you?"

"Yeah. I am. And I promise in a few days all of this is going to make sense. Just please for the love of God, quit asking me questions."

Luke narrowed his eyes and studied Reid's face. He seemed sincere, but he couldn't tell.

"Fine. I won't ask you anymore questions."

"Good. Now, since that was our first fight since we got here, I think we need to have makeup sex."

"That's not why I …"

"Don't care. Sex. Now."

Reid pushed Luke into the bedroom door.

"Just so you know, the whole possessive, jealous thing, is really fucking hot."

With that, his lips found Luke's, and then he was hoisting Luke up, while turning the door to the bedroom.

He dropped Luke on the bed, and quickly shed his clothing.

Luke watches as Reid undressed and moved to do the same. He was so turned on.

Reid leaned over him and pressed kisses to his chest and down.

Then Reid was taking his cock in his mouth and running his tongue around the head.

"Fuck. God, Reid."

Luke arched his back and gripped the sheets tightly. The wave of intense pleasure that surged up his back took him surprise.

Then Reid was hollowing his cheeks and providing suction and Luke couldn't do anything but mutter incoherent words as he tried to let Reid know what he was doing to him.

It wasn't long before he felt the familiar build and he grunted out a warning to Reid who simply used his teeth to lightly scrape him. That combined with the suction and the light tongue action across the slit of his cockhead sent him over the edge.

He came with a shout and held Reid's head in place.

"Oh, my God."

"Are you okay, Luke?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute to relax."

Luke felt his breathing return to normal as he watched Reid stand up. He licked his lips and smiled at him and Luke could feel himself trying to respond already. He knew he and Reid were in for a long.

Reid crawled on the bed beside Luke and kissed him.

Luke could taste himself in Reid's mouth when he moved to deepen the kiss.

Then he felt Red's hard cock against his hip.

"Give a few more minutes, then I'll take care of that for you."

Reid just smiled and kissed him again.

They both dozed off, but fifteen minutes later Luke woke up. He felt much more rested and quite sated after the first amazing blowjob. Reid was still napping and Luke could still feel Reid's hard on.

He reached over and started to slowly stroke Reid's cock and Reid shifted and moaned.

Luke reached into the drawer on the nightstand and brought out the lube.

He coated a few of his fingers and then went to work on himself. He couldn't help but groan as he stretched himself out.

After he fucked himself on his fingers for a few minutes, he crawled over to where Reid was laying.

He grabbed Reid's cock and placed it as his entrance.

He sat down slowly as he worked Reid's cock into his wet and dripping hole.

Then he was seated and as he waited for the burn to ease a little bit, he started rocking his hips.

Luke could feel tingles shooting up his back and he started to move up and down on Reid's lap.

Luke knew when Reid finally woke up when he felt fingers on his hips tighten and felt Reid thrust up.

"Fucking shit, Luke. "

Luke just looked down at Reid who was staring at him in shock.

"Is this okay?"

"Are you serious? This is the hottest fucking thing we have ever done."

Then Reid was moving Luke faster and faster as he thrust up into him.

Luke was hard again by this time and he was so hot. He let out needy, whiny noises as Reid managed to brush against his prostate every time.

"I'm gonna come, baby."

"Do it, come for me, Luke."

Luke grabbed one of Reid's hands on his hips and placed it on his cock. With their fingers entwined, they jacked him off together and with a shout, he came over their fingers.

Reid sat up as he thrust into Luke twice more, then he was coming hard as he and Luke were wrapped around each other.

"Oh my God, Luke. "

"What?"

"I fucking love you.  
Reid was still shuddering from the aftershocks of the best orgasm he'd ever had.

"I love you too, baby."

Luke jumped up then and held his hand out.

"Come on. We're nearing the end of our vacation, and we still haven't tested the shower out."

Reid groaned,

"You're going to be the death of me, Luke. You just came twice in under a half hour, are you sure you can even come again?"

"Don't worry about me old man, I'm up for the challenge if you are."

"Old man? Who are you calling old man? The guy who just has his cock in your ass?"

"Of course not, I was just trying to get your ass in gear, because I've always wanted to have sex in a bathtub."

Reid was out of bed then in a flash. For Luke, he could sacrifice sleep for the promise of another hot round of sex.

Four hours later, Luke and Reid were lying across the bed fast asleep after the fifth and final round of sex.

Luke thought back to the last round, which ended with Reid nailing him to the wall of the shower and fucking him so hard he thought he might be fucked through it.

He was sore, but in a good way and extremely happy.

Then he heard Reid's phone buzzing and he picked it up. There was an indication of a new text message.

Luke opened the message and saw,

Don't worry, Reid, Luke has no idea as far as I know about our meetings, so we're good to go. Just a few more days, then we can get together. Call me when you get this.


	52. Chapter 52

The text was from Steve. Luke was livid. He had just had this fucking argument with Reid that afternoon. Reid had been so kind and reassuring, and after five rounds of sex, Luke could barely move. But he was heartbroken. So Luke called his grandmother, Lucinda, for the jet to take him home. The thought of Reid cheating on him gutted him. Had this been his plan all along? Was this payback for him cheating on Reid? He sat in silence on the plane as it took him back to Oakdale. He really was an idiot, thinking this time he had finally gotten things right with Reid. You don't find your love when you're twelve years old though, and just because someone is your first love, doesn't mean they'll be your last. His parents were living proof of that. He didn't want to think about his parents, he still didn't know the truth, he didn't know if Holden was his father or if Damian was, he had a twin sister who despised everything about him and had tried to murder him and everything he loved, and everything was a mess. He contemplated moving to New York City, or maybe Los Angeles, a big city, where he could start over, it would mean selling the paper, but the paper held nothing but horrible memories for him and he wanted nothing more than to be free.

He hadn't left a letter, and he planned to stay with Faith at his old apartment. He just needed to get his stuff out of Reid's apartment, and he would move on. He didn't want to think about Steve and Reid meeting in secret and fucking all the while behind Luke's back, what about Kennedy, and their son? Steve was married to Reid's sister. And Reid was proud and out and had been since he knew he was gay, why would he keep his relationship with Steve a secret?

He felt like he had no more tears to cry. His life was a joke, he had a mother, who despite her best efforts, had fallen in love with a psychopath or another man, and had twins with one of them and given up one. And that twin had decided to ruin his life, because of Damian. And through that whole ordeal, he was finding love with his ex-boyfriend, but really, he was just being toyed with. Yep, that was a good life, Luke had.

Luke decided he was not going to feel sorry for himself. He was going home, breaking the story to the world, and then he was going to move to another state, and forget about his life in Oakdale ever happened. Reid could stay in Oakdale, fucking Steve on the side, and stay as the Chief of Staff of Memorial. He no longer cared.

Later that evening, after gathering up his clothing and toothbrush from Reid's apartment, he went back to Faith's. She didn't ask questions when he showed up on her doorstep with bags and tear stained cheeks. She didn't say anything when his phone kept buzzing, or when Reid showed up the next day.

She didn't say anything when Luke burned the letters that were shoved under the door. Two days later, he was finally ready to face the world again and interact with people.

Faith made him eggs and bacon and coffee on that third day and sat with him as he wolfed it down.

"So do you want to tell me what happened?"

"Not really, but you'll figure it out eventually. I'm moving back in with you for a little bit, until I can finish this story and then move to another state."

"Why are you moving to another state?"

"Because as much as I love you and the rest of our family, Oakdale does not hold anything for me."

"What about Reid?"

"What about him?"

"You and Reid lived together, and now you're just leaving?"

"Yep."

"So, is this another stupid misunderstanding and you're trying to punish him for something he didn't even do?"

"He cheated on me, Faith."

"What?!"

"He did."

"You caught him? I mean, how do you know that? You were in Vermont together for a vacation; did he start fucking the Abominable Snowman or something?"

"He's fucking Steve."

"Steve as in his straight brother in law?"

"I have proof."

"What sort of proof?"

Luke turned on Reid's phone and handed it to Faith

Don't worry, Reid, Luke has no idea as far as I know about our meetings, so we're good to go. Just a few more days, then we can get together. Call me when you get this. – Steve

"You not only read Reid's text messages, you stole his phone too?"

"Yeah. I wasn't really thinking when I took it."

"Clearly."

"Maybe that's why he's been trying to get in contact with you for the past few days."

"Probably."

"You have to give his phone back, Luke. And at the very least, just get some closure. If he did cheat on you, then he's an asshole and you deserve to move on and be happy."

"What do you mean if?"

"Well, seeing as I know the history between you two, I'm not going to write off Reid just yet."

"It's nice to see, even after Reid cheats on me, you're still on his side."  
"Hey! I'm not on his side. I'm on your side, and whether or not you want to admit it, you are in love with him."

"Not for much longer."

"Just fucking give it a rest, Luke. Go talk to him."

"Fine."

He looked back at the phone and saw there were fourteen missed texts and seven missed calls.

Luke opened the messages to catch even more proof of Reid's cheating, but all the texts were from web browsers addressed to him.

Luke, baby. I can't fine my phone, but when I woke up you were gone? Are you getting food? My arms are lonely without you in them. – xxReid

Luke bitterly scoffed at that text.

Another text sent three hours later

Luke, I'm getting worried about you? Where are you? Did you take my phone?- xxReid

Six hours later

Okay, so it's clear you are either dead somewhere out in the Vermont snow, or you left me stranded here, with nothing but my laptop. I really hope neither is the case, please call me-xxReid

Fourteen hours later

Whatever I did to make you run away, I'm sorry. Please, just call me, text me, email me, something. I just want to know that you're okay.-xxReid

One day later

I tried to stopping by Faith's, but I didn't get an answer. Lucinda said you took the jet home. Was there another break in the case? Is someone else in danger? Please, Luke, I really want to help you. Please come home-xx Reid

Four hours ago

I don't know what happened, Luke, and when I got home last night, most of your stuff was gone. I don't know why you decided to run away, but I still love you. Clearly, you don't feel the same way, and I can't make you. I think it's best if we don't see each other again. It was hard enough losing you the first time- xxReid

Luke read the messages and listened to one missed call, but hearing Reid's panic, or at least feigned panic turned his stomach. He hated how fake Reid could be. Unfortunately, for Luke, Reid had mastered faking sincerity in almost any situation.

But Faith had been right, he did need to return Reid's phone and end it for good. After all, if Reid wanted a reason, he'd get that reason. There was no way in hell, Luke was going to let Reid play the martyr in this situation.

He showed up on the doorstep of Reid's apartment a few hours later, ready for the fight that was sure to ensue after he showed Reid the evidence of his cheating.

He knocked on the door and heard Reid shuffling somewhere inside.

Reid opened the door. He was wearing sweatpants and one of Luke's Oakdale University sweatshirts. He looked hot which infuriated Luke even more.

"Luke."

"Reid."

"Why are you knocking, you have a key?"

"Because I left you, I wouldn't feel right about just letting myself into your apartment."  
Reid's face went pale at that.

"You left me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

The why was strangled as it escaped Reid's lips. Luke stopped short at that. Reid looked utterly devastated. He handed the phone to him.

"You took my phone?"

"After I read the text you got from Steve, I was too upset to really think, and I had to get out of that cabin. I was so hurt, Reid."

Reid grabbed the phone and looked at the text, Luke had pulled up.

"You want to explain this away? What about your fucking sister, Reid!? And not to mention your nephew. Even if you wanted to hurt me, because I hurt you all those years ago, you shouldn't have done that to your own family."

"First of all, Luke, I fucking told you I wasn't cheating on when you asked me that afternoon. I TOLD YOU. I asked you to trust me, and then you go and do this? I was never cheating on you. I would not do that. Believe me, after what happened when we were in high school. I know what being cheated on feel likes. I would never do that, even to you.

"Really? You're going to deny cheating on me with Steve? I saw the fucking text, Reid!"

"You're right, you saw a text between me and my best friend. Your name was in it, but the text had nothing to do with me cheating on you, you asshole!"

"Why are you yelling at me?"

"Because, I'm so fucking tired of this. I try to do something romantic and fucking lovely for you, and you ruin it by leaving me!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I was going to fucking propose to you, you asshat. Steve was helping me look at rings. I wanted to make sure we could do it, when you wouldn't be around!"

"But.."

"No, buts, Luke. I would not have made love to you five times in Vermont and stayed by your side with all your daddy drama, if I didn't fucking love you. You really think almost dying because of your fucking family was something I asked for? I stuck around even then, because I fucking was so in love with you, the thought of not being with you, hurt more than the actual pain of the car accident."

By this time, Reid had tears in his eyes, and it reminded Kurt of the argument they had gotten into in the park that night Reid had found Luke cheating on him with Kevin. Luke felt terrible.

"I'm so sorry, Reid, please…"

"Save it, Luke. I don't want to hear it anymore. It's clear you don't trust me, or us, and I don't think you ever did."  
"But, I love you…"

"This conversation is eerily familiar, Luke, and I'm going to say the same thing I said before, sometimes love is not enough."

Reid turned around and stormed into the bedroom.

He slammed the door shut.

Luke broke down and sat on the couch. He looked at the dvr, that he knew was full of shows that both he and Reid wouldn't watch. No longer would he dvr movies that he knew Reid would claim to hate, but then secretly watch when he had days off, and no longer would he share meals with Reid and comment on his eating habits, and how disgusting they were. He wanted the disgusting eating habits, and the questionable taste in television and movies Reid liked, and the snuggles late at night when Reid thought Luke was sleeping.

But they were all gone, and he had to get used to the idea of being alone. This time Faith had been right, and he had jumped to conclusions once again. Reid was going to propose, and now, they were done for good, what a difference three days can bring. Three days ago, he was in bed with Reid being fucked into oblivion, and now he was back to being single and moving back into his apartment.

Then the guilt set in. Adam would be so disappointed in him, to know that he had let another opportunity to be with the man he loved, slip through his fingers, but he had other promises to keep, and he would do it.

He went over to his desk in the office he hadn't cleaned out of Reid's yet, and found the journal where he had filled up the entire book of his memories and thoughts and hopes and desires. He laid it on top of Reid's laptop, so he knew he'd see it.

He sat down on the couch and googled trips to Alaska. He was going to take that Alaskan trip to see the northern lights, and he was going to try to get his manuscript published, the one about the two lonely boys trying to find their way in love and life.

He heard the door open after about an hour and heard Reid behind him.

"Why are you still here, Luke?"  
"Because, I decided it's time I actually do something instead of feeling sorry for myself."

"What does that have to do with you sitting in my apartment?"

"It is still our apartment, Reid. My name is on the lease."

"Well, not for long. I'm going to have you removed tomorrow."  
"Can you just read that before you do anything?"

Luke turned and saw Reid staring at the journal.

"Is that the…"

"Yes. I kept it and after I started falling in love with you all over again, I started to fill it out."

"I don't want to read this."  
"You need to read it, Reid. It explains how I was feeling during everything, why I did what I did, and what I feel for you now."

"This won't change anything."

"I'm expecting it won't, but at the very least, I hope it gives you some closure."

Luke wanted to cry, but he needed to not be around Reid to do it.

"I'm going to go into your office and make some travel arrangements, so you can read out here in peace."

"Can't you do that at your mother's?"

"Reid, we need to talk and you know it. Just please read it."

"Fine."

Luke set up his laptop in Reid's office. He looked at the desk and saw a picture of them from Thanksgiving Day, before everything had gone wrong.

He remembers Lily taking it of them. She must have given it to Reid. They looked so in love. Reid was staring at Luke who was laughing about something Reid had said about Emma's pie, and he remembers that moment, feeling so incredibly happy to be in his boyfriend's arms and sharing an important day with the rest of his family.

Luke pulled out his flash drive and put it in his laptop. He started editing his manuscript then and trying to get it polished and perfect to send to some publishing houses.

Time seemed to drag on as Luke edited the manuscript. Minutes turned into hours and Luke was giving up hope of Reid wanting to talk to him. He had hoped having Reid read the journal he had given him so many Christmas ago, would help him understand, but clearly it would not.

Luke finished his paragraph, sent it to Emily to proofread, and then shut down his laptop.

He heard a soft knock at the door of the office.

"You don't have to knock, Reid."

"It's not Reid."

Luke turned around to see Lily standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing here?"

"Reid called me, honey."

"What?"

"Reid called me about two hours ago and said that you needed to leave and that you needed help packing."

"Where is Reid right now?"

"He left as soon as I got here. He said something about needing a drink."

Luke felt helpless and indescribably sad.

"I don't want to leave, Mom."

"But Reid wants you to?"  
"Yeah, I screwed up, big time."

"What happened?"

"I thought he was cheating on me, so I left him stranded in Vermont with no phone and brought grandmother's jet and I came back here and started moving my stuff out."  
"But Reid would never do that."

"I know that now, but in the moment, I really thought he had, and it devastated me."

"And now he wants you gone for good?"

"Yeah, he doesn't think I trust him and that I'll never trust him, not to cheat on me, and he doesn't want a relationship like that. And I don't blame him. I have so baggage anyway, it's unbelievable we made it this far."

"Luke, stop it. You are not broken and you deserve to be happy. I know it's my fault and Damian's fault for a lot of the emotional baggage you carry around. I know that I wasn't always there for you growing up and if it hadn't been for my inability to truly let Holden in and trust him that you wouldn't have ended up in the mess with Reid to begin with."

"Yeah, but I still cheated and now I'm terrified that he's going to cheat on me as a way to punish me. And that's not healthy."

"No it isn't, but then again, that's the only thing you've ever seen from me and said to say my mother too. True love is not like that, Luke. I was too broken to understand what true love was, Holden is true love. I've finally found it, and there is nothing that will ever keep me from loving him. He is your father. You do not have to follow Damian's example any longer. I want you to move on with your life."

"So you wouldn't be upset if I sold the Oakdaily and started a new career?"

"No, honey. I'd encourage it. I want you to do whatever you want. If that means leaving Oakdale behind, then so be it. If that means selling all of Damian's businesses, then do it. I want you to be happy."

"Thanks, mom."  
"I love you, Luke."

"I love you too."  
"Well, you need to go home and get some sleep. So why don't you come to my house and sleep in your old bedroom. And tomorrow Holden will come help you get everything else?"

"Sounds good, mom."

Luke went to his old bedroom when he got to his mom's. The first thing he did was play some Mario Kart with his Ethan and Natalie, then he got a book from the library, and went to read it in his bedroom.

He opened the door to his room and saw a new queen sized bed in the room.

He had forgotten that Reid had stayed with his mother for about a month when he first moved back to town.

Luke looked around and saw other touches from Reid. He found pictures of Reid hung up on the walls and in the bathroom and different messages stuck in Luke's books saying how much Lily loved Reid more than Luke. Luke couldn't help but laugh at the teasing nature and realized they had been left there before they had started speaking again.

He wanted to cry though, because if history repeated itself, they'd be back to the same position they were in when Reid first returned to Oakdale.

He changed for bed and crawled into the new bed.

It smelled exactly like Reid and as he couldn't hold the tears back anymore. Luke was so sad and he just wanted to sleep. He was too stressed to do so, so he decided to get relief the only way he knew how. As he jerked off with a pillow that smelled of Reid over his face, he began to cry and when he finally came it was more bitter than sweet. Luke knew it wasn't healthy, but at least he could sleep again.

He cleaned himself up, and as he fell asleep with tears on his cheeks, he pulled the pillow closer to himself, maybe his brain and heart could be tricked into thinking he was sleeping with Reid, instead of cuddling a cold pillow.

The next morning, Luke awoke to feel a warm body behind him. He turned around thinking it was Ethan, and was surprised to feel an erection pressing into his back. Definitely not Ethan. As he started to gain more consciousness he started to worry. What the fuck did I do last night? He quickly kicked the man awake and pushed him off the bed.

"Ouch. What the hell was that for, Luke?"

"REID?!"

"Who the hell else would it be?"

"But, last night you said that you didn't want and I thought we were over and what are you doing in my bed?"

"Don't you remember last night at all?"

"Yeah, I do. I remember me coming over and you telling me you wanted nothing to do with me. Then you pretended to read my journal, but really just called my mom since I was stalking you, then you left."  
"After that?"

"I came here and went to bed."

"Yeah and I woke you up at 3 a.m. after I had a visit from your mother and after I read the journal."

"You did?"

"Yeah, and you said, 'Oh Reid, I'm so glad you're here, just hold me.' Which is what I did, and that's apparently why you kicked me out of bed?"

"Wait, that was real?"

"Yeah! We had like an hour discussion about me understanding where you were coming from and how your mom helped me understand why you were so afraid of commitment and thinking I wouldn't want to commit to you."

"I thought that was a dream."

"It was very real. Because you grabbed me by the nose and said, 'I've got your nose, and I won't give it back until you kiss me.'"

"So I kissed you then asked you to be the little spoon."

"And I said…"

"Only if you be the little spoon tomorrow night."

"So wait, you're really okay with everything now, just like that?"

"Luke, listen to me well, because I will only say this once: I was wrong about how I reacted to this situation."  
"Oh my god, this day will go down in infamy. Reid Oliver just admitted he was wrong."

"Shut up, before I recant, Luke."

"Okay go on."

"I will admit that you were also right when we were in high school. I didn't truly understand what you were going through when your mom cheated on Holden. It wasn't until you cheated on me, that I understood the ramifications. I wasn't mature enough or ready to handle all of the problems my parents were giving me about you, as well as your problems. I'm sorry, that I wasn't able to do that for you."

"Reid stop it. I fucked up. I messed up, and it was to hurt you, I'll admit it. I knew that if I had sex with Kevin, it would ruin our relationship, but at the time, all I cared was that I wouldn't have my heart broken. Unfortunately, once I realized what I had done after I came out of my drunken stupor, my best friend had died, and I had lost the only man I had ever loved. I take full responsibility for my actions when we were together back then."  
"But I could've…"

"No, you couldn't have. I had seen my mother do the whole, 'I don't know which man I want' routine for so long, that I knew it by heart, and I was convinced that all relationships were like that and as much as I was in love with you, and I so was, I didn't want to risk feeling like Holden did, everytime my mother would go running back to Damian. And I thought that if I pushed you away, first then you wouldn't do it to me. I don't want to do that anymore."

"I don't want that for us either, Luke. And that's why I was so hurt when you accused me of cheating. I felt like we were back in that place in high school, you had cheated on me with Kevin and you were trying to say that it was somehow my fault and I just couldn't do that again, Luke. Do you realize how many nights I cried myself to sleep?"

"No. And I'm sorry for that, Reid."

"Every. Damn. Night. Every night while I was in school, I'd think maybe this is the night, Luke will contact me and we can start again. And then I just gave up hope. I half expected you to be married with ten kids when I got back to Oakdale. And instead you were fucking hot and successful and I was pissed."

"Yeah, well, so were you."

"Oh, except the part where you hate me, right?"

"Hey, you were the one who threw money at me and told me to dress better."

Reid laughed aloud at that and pulled Luke closer to him.

"I think you dress fine. I mean it's hard to compete with me, I know."

Luke giggled and pushed Reid away,

"Whatever you say, jerk."

Luke snuggled down beside Reid again and laid his head on his chest.

They were silent for a few seconds, then Luke turned to look at Reid.

"My mom really talked to you?"

"Yeah, she explained everything that happened with your family, and how upset and stressed out you still are about Alison and everything that happened, and I realized that this was pretty small in the grand scheme of things and everything we've already been through to be together. I don't want to let you go, after it took me so long to finally get you back. So I made a choice to let it go. I don't care anymore and I still love you."

Luke felt the tears that had welled up start to slide down his cheeks.

"You're sure? Because I'm afraid that we're going to have a fight down the road or a misunderstanding and one of us will leave, and I don't want that."

"Luke, look at me. Do you realize how much we went through to get back here? I know that I will never give you up. I won't leave and I won't walk away, even if we get into a huge fight."

"You're sure."

"I'm sure. Besides, I had a taste of what being without was like after Thanksgiving, and I was miserable."

"So was I."

"So I guess that means you have to move your stuff back to our apartment."

"I guess I can do that, but just so you know, I'm never moving again."

"Well, what about if we buy a house one day when we have kids?"

"We're having kids?"

"Yeah, I mean, don't you?"

"But you said…"

"I know what I said. I also know that I have had time to think about my life and I used to be terrified of the thought of having children and being married, because of my family life."  
"And now?"

"And now, even though we are both messed up and have emotional baggage, I know that our family would not be that way. We would both love our children and each other, and it wouldn't matter if our children were gay, straight, or in a polyamorous relationship. And if we were too stubborn to let misunderstandings and tragedy stand in our way before, we sure won't let it happen after we had kids."

"But what about getting married?"

"What about it?"

"You told me you were going to propose to me."  
"I was, but I'm still not sure I actually want to get married."

"But you want to have kids with me?"

"Yes. I mean I'm committed to you already and I know you want a family, but I'm not sure being married is the right fit for us, considering our history and what you went through with your mother."

"I love you, Reid, but I do want to be married. I want the dog, and the kids, and I want a husband."

"But what if getting married makes it worse?"

"You think being married to me would be worse than what we have now?"

"I just don't want to get married and have kids with you, then it all falls apart. I mean the thought of breaking up with you now, leaves me breathless because of the pain, but I don't want a long drawn out divorce or custody battles over our kids."

"And you thought I was reading too much into the future when I was freaking out about you going away to college?"

"You remember that?"

"Yes. I also remember you telling me that it would be okay and that I didn't need to worry, because our love would see us through. And guess what, you were right. I was too stupid to understand or accept that you loved me, regardless of what my parents and family was like, even though I was younger and wouldn't be graduating for years, you still loved me. And guess what? I love you now more than I have ever loved before. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to buy a house and argue over what to decorate it with, I want to have children with you, and I want you to be my husband, so that when we are old and gray, I can go visit you in the hospital and I want to call you my husband and know that we had all our family and friends there was a witness to us deciding to spend our lives together."

"Not all of our families."

Luke was crying as he took Reid's hand in his own.

"You are good enough for a wedding, Reid. I know that you mother has hurt you in the past, with her not accepting you for being gay, or us for our love, but you deserve to be happy. If I have to spend my entire life proving that to you, I will. You have stuck by me through so much, and it's the least I can do for you. I will wait for you to realize that you deserve to have a family and a husband who loves you and accepts you for who you are. And if we are in our 80s and you finally realize that, then I will marry you. Even if I marry you on your death bed, you will leave this world knowing that you had someone by your side that loved you unconditionally and you had a family who felt the same way."

Luke pressed his forehead against Reid and felt him shaking in his grasp. He knew Reid was still heartbroken over his mother's rejection. Finally, Reid looked up and looked in Luke's eyes.

"I don't know how long it will take me to be at a place where I'm ready to get married and have a wedding and be okay that my mother and father aren't there. I will try to get there, though. I promise."

Luke and Reid left Lily's then and drove home. After depositing his clothing back in his side of the closet and drawers, he took a hot shower. It didn't take long for Reid to join him and after pressing Luke into the wall and giving him a magnificent blow job, similar to the one had had fantasized about all those months ago, he was laying in their bed again, snuggled up tight to Reid. He looked outside to see snow gently falling under the hazy lights of the street lamps. The last thought on his mind was how unbelievably happy he was to be in the arms of the man he loved, exactly where he belonged.


	53. Chapter 53

Epilogue:

Luke and Reid sat in Metro waiting for his mother and Holden to arrive. Reid had ordered an appetizer and was happily eating his wings and fried mushrooms as Luke smiled with affection at the man before him. It had been one year and a day since Reid and Luke decided enough was enough and they weren't spending any more time apart. Of course, that was better said than done, and Reid and Luke still fought like the two stubborn men they had always been, but instead of running away and hurting each other, they always made up and made sure to communicate. It didn't help that the sex was always fantastic and slowly, but surely, they were coming to realize that their life together was more than either of them could have possibly thought a year ago.

Luke had finally sold the paper and went back to writing. His manuscript had been picked up about six months after he started working on it again, and now he was working on a sequel to the love story of two gay teenage boys trying to find love in a world full of mystery and darkness. He knew exactly what he would base the story on. Alison had gotten therapy and spent time in the psychiatric hospital. She was out on parole now and working at Java. Luke saw her twice a week and they went shopping, went to see movies, and sometimes just hung out and got to know each other. The more time together, they spent, the more they realized they really were twins. Alison apologized at least fifty times each time they hung out and Luke knew, eventually he would forgive her, but it was a slow process. Damian was still running around somewhere, but he no longer cared. After everything that went down with the hospital and the town, he decided to donate the money from his sale of the Oakdaily to building a new hospital on the other side of town. Just last week everything had been moved over and Memorial was just an empty shell that held the memories of the terror that Damian and his thugs had unleashed on the town.

Reid was starting to build a relationship with his father. It started when Reid ran into his father a few months ago and they started meeting weekly to talk. His father told him that he missed and loved him, which he hadn't heard in years, and that he was sorry that his mother still harbored so much resentment toward him. Reid banned the talk of his mother when he and his father had coffee. The more he reconnected with his father and his father asked him questions about his life and about Luke, the more he realized that just having his father try to accept him, was enough. He knew his mother would never accept him, and that she didn't even want to try, but the fact that his father went against his mother to reconnect with him, gave him the courage to believe in himself and the love he shared with Luke. He was still scared about the future and if his father would show up on the day he married, Luke, but the more time he spent with Luke in his bed, in his arms, and in his life, the more he realized he would never be happy to have him not there.

Once Lily and Holden finally arrived, the party started. This was their engagement party, at least one of them, anyway, and Reid and Luke both were in the wedding party. Luke was happy for his mother and Holden and knew that this was the last time his mother would ever waver between Damian and Holden. He still didn't know who his father actually was, and he didn't care. He knew in his heart that the only man he'd ever claim as his father was Holden. Damian was a monster and he had finally escaped its clutches. Damian had tried relentlessly throughout the year to get Luke to see him, to honor his loyalty to family, and each time Luke had told him that his family was Lily, Holden, Emma, Lucinda, Alison, Faith, Natalie, Ethan, and Reid. He was a Snyder and would always be a Snyder. Damian had left one final message for Luke with the promise of sorrow and pain if he did not take his place as the rightful heir to his Grimaldi fortune and his royalty.

Reid and Luke christened every space in Reid's new office as soon as the building was done, and were caught in the on-call room when a nurse barged in to get help from Reid. Neither Reid, Luke, or the nurse ended up having a good day after that, but when Lucinda approved a small room off of Reid's office with a bed for 'the nights when Reid worked late', everything was solved. Reid loved his job and his office, and he loved that Luke came to visit him every day with coffee, food from Al's, and always willing and ready to help him with anything he needed.

He smiled at Luke as Luke made a toast to Lily and Holden and knew that in just a few minutes, Luke himself would be getting engaged. The plan had been set in motion after Christmas, when they got back from their vacation to Fiji.

Just as they were drinking champagne in honor of Lily and Holden, right on cue Carly ran down the stairs,

"Hey, fireworks are going off!"

Reid knew how much Luke loved them and told him to grab his coat.

They went outside and Reid grabbed Luke's hand,

"Come on; let's go watch them from our hill."

"But they might be over by then."

"Trust me, Luke, they won't be."

They made their way down the street and then to the hill that overlooked the park.

Reid sat down by Luke and pulled him closer to him.

"Are you too cold?"

"No, I'm fine."

Luke oohed and ahhed as he watched the fireworks.

They stopped and Luke sighed,

"I have always loved fireworks."

"I know. That's why I had these done."

"You had these done?"

"Yes."

"For me?"

"Yes, for you?"

"But why?"

"Because you love fireworks and I love you."

Luke crawled into Reid's lap. He kissed him passionately and snuggled into him.

"You are the sweetest, kindest, most romantic man I have ever known."

"I know."

"Really, Reid. This is so beautiful."

"Yes you are."

"Stop it. I'm being serious."

"So am I, Luke. I love you, everything about you. I know that fireworks make you happy, because I know you. You are so passionate and full of life and you love with everything you have. There isn't one part of you that doesn't feel. When you're angry, you're entire body exudes that, and when you're happy, everything about you screams of pure joy. And that's why I know you love fireworks. You have always pushed me, gotten under my skin, and made me feel things I didn't want to or even knew I could feel. You've always done that to me, even in high school. All I wanted to do was tell you to fuck off, but you always came back and you always made me want you. And I still want you, all of you. Even when you're pissed off at me for eating the last piece of cheesecake from Emma, or for taping over your Glee episodes with baseball games, or for telling Ethan on Christmas that Santa had an allergic reaction to the cookies he left out and died."  
"You're still an asshole by the way for telling him that. He cried for three days. He's still traumatized."

"But even though I do those things, and you get angry at me, you're still here in my lap, kissing me and telling me that you love me. And now I finally believe it."

"Believe what?"

"That you love me, that I deserve to be happy and that I deserve a marriage and a wedding and life with you."

Luke gasped and tensed up.

He whispered the words,

"Really?"

"Yes. Really. I want to marry you Luciano Snyder. I want to have a family with you and spend every day for the rest of my life antagonizing you and making you feel more loved than you have ever felt loved."

Luke was crying by that point,

"Did you change your mind, Luke about wanting that?"

"These are happy tears, Reid. These are tears of joy and disbelief and so much love for you. I want all of that with you."

"So, I guess all that's left then is this."

With that, Reid gently pushed Luke off, lifted him to his feet and then got down on the frozen, cold ground.

"Will you, Luciano Snyder, make an honest man of me and marry me with a big wedding and all that shit?"

Luke burst out laughing at the proposal,

"Only you would call our marriage and wedding, 'all that shit', Reid. But yes, I will marry you. I would be honored to."

With that, Luke pulled Reid up and kissed him. In the background, he heard the fireworks going again and cheering. But he didn't care, all he wanted to do was kiss the man he loved.

When he finally came up for air, he realized all of his friends and family were there, and they were cheering for them and the grand finale that was going off.

They went back into Metro and celebrated Luke and Reid's engagement and as the New Year rang in, Luke got a phone call. He saw the number and hit cancel on his phone. It was Damian. Damian was not going to ruin his night. Not anymore, not ever again.

He kissed Reid on the lips and told him he'd be right back.

He went back up to the street and pulled up one of his contacts, he hit the send button and waited for the reply,

"Are you sure about this, Luke?"

"Yes, but the question is, are you sure you want to be the one to do this?

"Are you kidding me? After everything he put me through? Yes. And then 1,000 more times yes."

"Alright, but this is the last we will ever speak of this."

"No problem."

With that he hung up the phone. In the distance he heard an explosion and went back downstairs to enjoy the rest of his life with the man he loved.

The next morning, Lily called him in a panic.

"Did you know that the old Memorial Hospital was blown up last night?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, they found a body inside."

"Interesting, I wonder whose it is."

"I don't know, but apparently the body was so badly damaged, they can't even get dental records to identify the body."

"That's a shame. I have to go mother, Reid needs me."

Reid pulled Luke down to kiss him,

"What was that about."

"Nothing, just tying up loose ends."

Luke pulled the sim card out of his phone and replaced it. Then he threw the old one in the trash.

He lay back down, snuggled closer to Reid, and laughed to himself.

Sparks and gasoline really don't mix.


End file.
